W. E. Sangster

Listened to by huge congregations in Britain, and perhaps the most recognizable British Methodist voice in the mid-twentieth century, W. E. Sangster was, in anyone's estimation, a giant of Methodism. A preacher without peer in the world, a prince of preachers, are just two of the labels attached to this preacher/theologian of the Methodist tradition. This volume captures the preaching of Sangster in his prime, on the occasion of the 1956 World Methodist Conference in Junaluska, North Carolina. Cheatle's research brings into the public domain ten sermons, nine previously unpublished in this form, delivered by Sangster at that great gathering of World Methodism. These sermons, being transcripts from recordings, picked up Sangster in the raw, at his most powerful, engaging with his listeners. This book is a resource, therefore, that aids students of homiletics and pastors in encountering a master at work, without the editorial polish of his extant sermons. The sermons on aspects of Christian holiness would be Sangster's first and last sequential series on the subject, placing before the reader some of his most mature thought on holiness and its application in daily life.In an age when we have lost confidence in the captivating power of the proclaimed word, Dr. Cheatle's excellent critical edition of Sangster's sermons not only offers helpful insights into the thoughts of one of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century on a variety of central themes, but also a clarion call to the church to once again attend to the compelling power of the gospel and its proclamation. Dr. Cheatle has done a great service to academy and church alike.--Tom Greggs, Marischal Chair of Divinity, University of AberdeenW. E. Sangster: Sermons in America places the reader in the pew to listen to the voice of one of the preeminent preachers of the twentieth century. This volume of transcriptions of ten previously unpublished sermons on holy living preached by Sangster at the 1956 World Methodist Conference at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, reveals Sangster as a preacher with much to teach twenty-first century preachers. . . . Contemporary preachers, take and read!--Alyce M. McKenzie, Director, The Perkins Center for Preaching ExcellenceIn an age when the preached word does not hold the position it once did in the church's exegetical and homiletic ministry, Dr. Cheatle's careful transcription and analysis of these sermons of Sangster, recorded in the USA, provide an invaluable tool to explore one of the great Christian preachers in a period when the sermon was already losing its domination of Christian apologetic. A useful contribution to the study of preaching and especially in the Holiness tradition.--David Hart, Methodist MinisterAndrew J. Cheatle is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Pastoral Theology at Liverpool Hope University. He also serves as a University Pastor. His previous writings on Sangster include W. E. Sangster: Herald of Holiness (2010) and W. E. Sangster: Heir of John Wesley? (2013). Before becoming an academic he held pastorates in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Manchester, England.