Phillips
Brooks
Contributor
By the end of the 19th century there was an undertow of unbelief and liberalism in some church movements and preachers. Phillips Brooks was on the edge of this phenomenon. He was from the old Puritan stock and educated at Harvard. His preaching often centered more on self-help than on the fundamental truths of doctrine. Though not a denier of those truths, his preaching had a humanistic and idealistic flavor. Brooks is a forerunner of new-evangelicals like Joel Osteen and Billy Graham, men whose sermons are somewhat Biblical, but emasculated. We include some of his sermons here because of his oratorical skill, the artistry of his words and as an example of the period in which he lived. He was also the author of the Christmas hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem.
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