The World's Great Sermons, Volume 09: Cuyler to Van Dyke

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 298K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The World's Great Sermons, Volume 09: Cuyler to Van Dyke by Grenville KleiserAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Dec 17, 2013

Editor's review

This is Volume 9 of The World's Great Sermons, collecting sermons from Cuyler to Van Dyke, edited by Grenville Kleiser and released free by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in the completeness of a theological system but in offering a set of samples for close observation of modern English sermon style: how different preachers organize language between scriptural exposition, moral exhortation, and concern for their times. For readers studying sermon genre, religious rhetoric, or the English public-speaking tradition, such primary texts have more texture than secondhand overviews. There is no need to read it straight through; begin with a familiar theme or author and note the structure, allusions, and shifts in tone. As an electronic public-domain edition, the text is presented in the original English and is suited to reference reading and stylistic analysis rather than as a systematic introduction to doctrine.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students studying English sermons and religious rhetoric
General readers interested in modern Christian sermon texts
Writers seeking material in English speech and exhortatory prose
Readers who enjoy public-domain religious texts and are willing to read originals slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic theology textbooks or catechisms
Those who struggle with English and need sentence-by-sentence translation and notes
Ordinary readers expecting modern applied devotional essays

Reading tips

First skim the table of contents and choose two or three sermons by author or theme for close reading; no need to read cover to cover.
Before each sermon, summarize its main point in one sentence; afterward, check whether the argument and allusions support that point.
Keep a notebook of recurring scriptures, images, and rhetorical devices to compare across sermons.
If using it as a writing reference, excerpt passages and imitate their structure by rewriting a short modern essay.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to Project Gutenberg, the book is in English and contains the original English sermons. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or should use reference works and notes alongside it.

Can I read it without a theology background?

Yes, but adjust your expectations. This is not a systematic introduction to doctrine but a collection of historical sermon texts. Start with introductory notes or background material, choose sermons on familiar themes, and consult reference works for proper names and scriptural citations.

Is it suitable as a reference for sermon preparation?

It can serve as a reference for style and rhetoric, showing how different preachers organize scriptural exposition and moral exhortation. But it is a historical text with a different context from today; do not copy its content directly—judge in light of your own tradition and audience.

Is this the complete series or a single volume?

According to the source, this is Volume 9 of The World's Great Sermons, covering some preachers from Cuyler to Van Dyke. It is not the complete set; readers who need other preachers should look for other volumes in the series.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Project Gutenberg Author

Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.