Perhaps the greatest American evangelist of the nineteenth century, Dwight L. Moody inspired millions with his sermons. Although a century and a half separates us from his impassioned explications of the Bible, Moody’s ardor rings with overtones of today’s fundamentalist Christianity and can offer critical clues to understanding the orthodox religious outlook still dramatically influencing our culture in the twenty-first century.

Moody explains why Christians believe that the Bible is invariably correct (“None of the other religious volumes, like the Koran, that claim a divine origin, agree with common sense.”); who resides in heaven (“The inhabitants of Heaven will be select.”); and that they are set apart from the larger culture (“We must go against the current of this world.”); and more.