Day: April 6, 2025

Revival and Collapse: Billy Sunday’s Fiery Campaign in Burlington, Iowa (1905)

By Kraig McNutt

From the moment he arrived in Burlington, Iowa, in November 1905, Rev. William “Billy” Sunday brought with him more than a revival campaign—he brought a storm. For six intense weeks, Sunday preached to thousands daily, confronted sin with his trademark “hammer and tongs” style, and called the city to spiritual awakening.

But the campaign didn’t just stir souls. It nearly cost him his life.

A Town on Fire—Spiritually Speaking

Sunday’s campaign in Burlington ran from November 9 to December 17, 1905. In that span, he preached to crowds of 6,000 to 10,000 in a massive wooden tabernacle built for the occasion. The energy was electric. At one point, over 1,279 converts had been counted, and by the end of the campaign, the total reached 2,484.

The Muscatine Journal described Sunday’s preaching as if “swaying a storm-beaten ocean.” In a men’s meeting alone, 112 responded to the call, with many more turned away due to overcrowding.

But Sunday’s sermons weren’t just altar calls—they were cultural critiques. He lambasted spiritual apathy, criticized parental neglect, and took direct aim at profanity, indifference, and moral complacency. In one memorable line, he warned:

“You say, ‘It is nobody’s business what I do.’ But hear me—it is everybody’s business what everybody does.”

His sermons were equal parts gospel and social conscience.

Revival or Overkill?

Not everyone was thrilled. A Cedar Rapids Gazette editorial warned that while Sunday was sincere, his tone could be offensive and even vulgar. Some churchgoers felt he used “language of the gutter” and painted humanity as far too depraved. They admired his passion but questioned his method:

“Offensiveness and vulgarity may emanate from the pulpit as well as from any other source… but ‘Billy’ Sunday is sincere, and sincerity is a virtue that is not to be despised.”

It was this very sincerity—his relentless, full-throttle commitment—that finally broke him.

The Collapse Heard Across the Midwest

On Monday, December 18, 1905, as Sunday prepared to preach to yet another crowd of 4,000, he suddenly collapsed on stage, fainting in front of the shocked audience. Reports soon circulated that his life was in danger, and that weeks of nonstop preaching had led to total physical and nervous exhaustion.

The Dixon Evening Telegraph wrote:

“He had been preaching steadily day and night for months and during the preceding week had not slept.”

While Sunday recovered and eventually continued his national ministry, the Burlington collapse marked a critical moment—a reminder that even spiritual giants are still human.

A Lasting Impact on Burlington

Despite the toll on Sunday’s health, the Burlington campaign left deep footprints in the city. By the time the tabernacle closed:

  • 2,500 had publicly confessed Christ
  • $4,000 had been raised in free-will offerings
  • The mayor ordered all saloons closed on Sundays
  • A Civic Reform League with 150 members formed to continue the moral reform efforts sparked by Sunday’s preaching

According to The Grand Rapids Press, the final night saw 7,000 people crammed inside, with 5,000 more unable to get in. It was one of the most dramatic and consequential campaigns of Sunday’s early career.

Legacy: The Revival That Cost Everything

The Burlington campaign reveals the paradox of Billy Sunday’s revivalism:

  • His methods were polarizing—but effective.
  • His energy was boundless—but not limitless.
  • His message stirred the masses—but came at personal cost.

Still, Sunday “played ball” in the pulpit the way he had on the baseball field: heart first, full speed, no reserve.

And in December 1905, Burlington, Iowa, witnessed both the brilliance—and the breaking—of a man determined to bring America back to God.

Burlington, Iowa (November 9 to December 17, 1905)

​Billy Sunday conducted his revival campaign in Burlington, Iowa, from November 9 to December 17, 1905. He saw 2,484 conversions and generated $4,000 in collections. A newspaper article tells how he fell ill and his very life was deemed threatened during the Burlington campaign.

Reported That Evangelist Sunday Was Taken Ill During Meetings.

It is reported that Rev. “Billy” Sunday, who has hundreds of friends in Dixon, has broken down from overwork and nervous strain and is dangerously sick at Burlington, Iowa. Friends here have heard nothing of this but the following item is published in an exchange:

“Billy” Sunday, the famous baseball evangelist, broke down at a revival near Burlington, Iowa, Monday, and his death is feared. Sunday started to preach to a crowd of 4,000 people when he toppled over on the platform in a dead faint. He had been preaching steadily day and night for months and during the preceding week had not slept.”

  • Dixon Evening Telegraph. Mon, Dec 18, 1905 ·Page 5

Additional related newspaper coverage of the Burlington, Iowa (1905) campaign

REV. “BILLY” SUNDAY.

Burlington is now in the throes of a religious awakening, engineered by that eminent and popular ex-baseball player who now is known as Rev. William A. Sunday, but whose numerous friends still love to call “Billy” Sunday. Sunday has been preaching the old gospel in his own inimitable style for several years, and has drawn to him the friendships of a great many people of all denominations, while he has also offended many good people by his “hammer and tongs” style of argument. He has also many friends among the people outside of all churches, for there is one thing of which “Billy” Sunday cannot be justly accused, and that is insincerity. He preaches just like he played ball—puts his whole heart into the work; in other words, he “plays ball” in his present profession. That he has done and is doing great good cannot be successfully denied, and Burlington will probably be better, for a time at least, for his coming; but he has many friends who do not believe it is necessary to use the language of the gutter in condemning evil, nor that everybody is quite as bad as Mr. Sunday would sometimes have his hearers believe.

Offensiveness and vulgarity may emanate from the pulpit as well as from any other source. And it is barely possible that a religious cathartic may not prove as effective in the long run as a less drastic and more constructive remedy.

Again, those who labor just as hard, year in and year out, and just as faithfully, in the noble calling, at a salary generally less per annum than Mr. Sunday receives in a fortnight, may be doing a more permanent work. But “Billy” Sunday is sincere, and sincerity is a virtue that is not to be despised.

  • The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Mon, Nov 13, 1905 ·Page 4

GREAT REVIVAL.

Evangelist “Billy” Sunday Stirs Up Burlington—Large Crowds.

Burlington, Ia., Nov. 28—The revival services conducted by Rev. William A. Sunday have already grown to be a remarkable thing for Burlington. They have been going on for two weeks, and the evangelist is now speaking to an average of 6,000 people daily. Sunday afternoon he held his first men’s meeting and was greeted by fully 6,000 men, old and young. He swayed this remarkable audience for an hour and a half like a storm beaten ocean and at the close 112 men responded to the call for converts, and it is estimated that 50 were turned away because of the crush in front of the evangelist. Including this number there have been a total of 602 converts since last Thursday night.

  • The Muscatine Journal. Tue, Nov 28, 1905 ·Page 1

SOME “BILLY’ SUNDAYISMS.

From Burlington papers: The indifference of many in the church is keeping back the kingdom of God.

Some of you are constantly breathing out in doing good to others, but do no breathing in; seldom or never give yourselves any time with God.

If you have done your neighbor in jury, go to him and confess it, and ask his forgiveness.

The greatest barrier to the advancement of God’s Kingdom to-day is the indifference and apathy of so many of our church members.

No wonder so many of our children go to the bad; they get no guidance, no inspiration, no help for good in the home.

There are hundreds here to-night who are convinced that Jesus Christ is the son of God, but have not back- bone enough to come down the aisle and confess it.

The historical Jesus? You may repudiate him as the son of God, but you still have the historical Jesus, and you could no more write the history of the world and leave Jesus out than you could write the history of this country and leave out George Washington.

Profanity damns and curses any man who indulges in it.

What would the world be were there no restraining influence? You say “it is nobody’s business what I do.” Bu’ hear me, it is everybody’s business what everybody does.

There are certain men who scoff at religion and at preachers, but when they come face to face with death and the fearful consequences of their dis- solute lives they begin to fear and tremble.

  • Muscatine News-Tribune. Tue, Dec 05, 1905 ·Page 6

Ten thousand people sought to hear “Billy” Sunday preach at Burlington last Sunday, 6,000 succeeding. Converts in his revival services in that city to date number 1,279.

  • Quad-City Times. Wed, Dec 13, 1905 ·Page 2

Closed by “Billy” Sunday.

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 20.—The wave of reform in Burlington, growing out of William A. Sunday’s revival meetings, resulted in the formation of the Civic Reform league of 150 members, and the issuance last night by Mayor Caster of an order closing all saloons on Sunday.

  • The Grand Rapids Press. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

2,500 Converts

Secured by Rev. Billy Sunday in Burlington

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 19.—The Rev. William A. Sunday has closed his series of evangelistic meetings here. There were 7,000 people packed into the tabernacle, with at least 5,000 outside unable to get in, last night. The results of the meetings are 2,500 converts. The people of Burlington have given him a free-will offering of over $4,000.

  • Marion News-Tribune. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

Billy Sunday campaigns 1904-1905

Here’s a blog-ready narrative reflecting on the 1904–1905 campaign data from Billy Sunday’s early revivals:

Billy Sunday’s Early Impact: What the 1904–1905 Campaign Numbers Reveal

By Kraig McNutt

Before Billy Sunday became a national sensation—packing tabernacles in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh—he cut his evangelistic teeth in smaller Midwestern towns. The data from his 1904–1905 revival campaigns offers a fascinating glimpse into the early momentum of a man who would become America’s most celebrated evangelist of the early 20th century.

Here’s what the numbers reveal.

Small Towns, Big Spiritual Response

Many of the towns on Sunday’s early itinerary were small agricultural or industrial communities scattered across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Colorado. Places like Exira, Iowa and Audubon, Iowa boasted modest populations—yet hundreds came forward to respond to Sunday’s message.

  • Centerville, Iowa (1905): 900 conversions
  • Sterling, Illinois (1904): 1,678 conversions
  • Macomb, Illinois (1905): 1,880 conversions
  • Dixon, Illinois (1905): 1,875 conversions

These numbers are especially impressive when viewed through the lens of population density. In many cases, Sunday was reaching 10–20% or more of the town’s residents. His message wasn’t simply heard—it reshaped the spiritual landscape of entire communities.

Collections: A Window into Support and Sustainability

While conversion data was consistently recorded, collections (monetary offerings) were only occasionally noted:

  • Centerville, Iowa: $1,500
  • Keokuk, Iowa: $2,200
  • Dixon, Illinois: $2,000
  • Macomb, Illinois: $3,100

These figures indicate that even in smaller towns, there was strong financial support for revival efforts. The money likely covered the costs of tabernacle construction, music, printed materials, and Sunday’s own ministry team.

These generous gifts also reflect the deep gratitude communities felt for the spiritual impact they experienced.

Consistent Fruit Across the Heartland

Across 22 cities recorded between 1904 and 1905, Sunday saw tens of thousands make public professions of faith. The median number of conversions hovers around 900–1,000 per town. For a relatively unknown evangelist in his early 40s, this marks a period of accelerating credibility and growing influence.

It was this consistency—town after town, soul after soul—that built the foundation for Billy Sunday’s national platform just a few years later.

A Revival Rooted in the Midwest

It’s no accident that Sunday’s early years focused on Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota—regions that mirrored his own upbringing and values. These were towns where the church was central, alcohol was a public enemy, and personal salvation was not just a religious idea, but a community matter.

Sunday’s fiery oratory, moral clarity, and theatrical flair found fertile ground in these heartland soils.

Final Thought: The Humble Beginnings of a National Voice

The revival fires Billy Sunday lit in places like Bedford, Harlan, and Canon City were more than regional events—they were launchpads. These early campaigns showed that revival could still grip a town, change hearts, and reorder lives.

In 1904 and 1905, he wasn’t yet preaching to hundreds of thousands—but he was proving that he could.

And history shows—he would.

Enjoying this kind of historical insight? Subscribe to the blog or check out more posts at EvangelistBillySunday.com

Source: The Spectacular Career, p. 126.

CityConversionsCollections
Marshall, Minn.600
Sterling, Ill.1678
Rockford, Ill.1000
Elgin, Ill.800
Carthage, Ill.650
Pontiac, Ill.1100
Jefferson, Iowa900
Bedford, Iowa600
Seymour, Iowa600
Centerville, Iowa9001500.0
Corydon, Iowa500
Audubon, Iowa500
Atlantic, Iowa600
Harlan, Iowa400
Exira, Iowa400
Keokuk, Iowa10002200.0
Redwood Falls, Minn.600
Mason City, Iowa1000
Dixon, Ill.18752000.0
Canon City, Colo.950
Macomb, Ill.18803100.0
Canton, Ill.1120

Americanism (1922): Address by Billy Sunday

​In 1922, evangelist Billy Sunday delivered a sermon titled “Americanism,” reflecting his staunch support for traditional American values and his opposition to radical ideologies. In this address, Sunday criticized groups he perceived as threats to the nation’s moral and social fabric, including socialists, communists, and certain university academics. He accused these groups of promoting rebellion and undermining American institutions. Sunday also addressed issues of labor and capital, condemning both dishonest laborers and exploitative employers. Additionally, he expressed his views on racial matters, asserting that social equality between white and black individuals was unattainable, though he acknowledged the importance of civil equality. This sermon was later published as a pamphlet, allowing for wider dissemination of his views.

Country Crowded with Radicals

The cuckoo is a bird that never builds a nest of its own: it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds which it drives away. Our country is crowded with a Socialistic, I. W. W., Communistic, radical, lawless, anti-American, anti-church, anti-God, anti-marriage gang, and they are laying the eggs of rebellion and unrest in labor and capital and home. And we have some of them in the universities. I can take you through the universities and pick out a lot of fellows that shouldn’t draw pay from the people that send their boys there, for they are nothing but black-hearted, Communistic fellows who are teaching that to the boys and sending them out to undermine America. There are a lot of good-for-nothing, assinine, fool preachers that are just as low down as the rest of them.

No wonder the world is going to hell so fast she is breaking the speed limit!

The theory that a man should loaf on the job thereby causing under-production in order to make work for more men is a damnable heresy that came out of Europe. A laborer is a thief if he soldiers on the job and don’t give honest work for the wages that are paid him. An employer is a thief if he pays starvation wages and makes that man and his children live below the hunger line. (Applause.)

This radical element, which you will find everywhere, has gotten into the church. Why, I am a Presbyterian—and we have got Presbyterian preachers that are preaching damnable heresy right in the pulpits with the name “Presbyterian” on the outside of the church. They are preaching a bloodless salvation. They say, “Read good books, keep good company, think good thoughts and you will go to heaven.” You will go to HELL. (Laughter.)

Whites and Blacks

Then the matter of social equality between the white and the black. Talk about social equality! There never will be social equality between the white and the black. (Applause.) The radical characteristics, my friends, are such, to make forever impossible social and political equality, in my opinion. Now you confuse that with civil equality. The black man is entitled to civil equality as much as you. You give him half the road. Why, we have not social equality even among white folks. There are a lot of white people who wouldn’t have me in their home. (Laughter.)

However, when you are out on the highway with your Pierce-Arrow limousine you have got to give half of the road to that darkey with his tin lizzie. (Laughter.) Civil equality is all right. Social equality is another proposition. No decent negro man would want to marry a white woman. No decent white man would want to marry a negress.

Talk about social equality? Never, no: just get that into your nut right straight off….

America for Americans

And I will tell you, Philadelphia, this country is going to be run by Americans, cost what it will. (Applause.) It is going to be run on the basis of government under the Constitution of our forefathers who struck the snow-covered hills of New England with a Bible in one hand and a spelling book in the other, under the Stars and Stripes and not under the red rag of rebellion or Socialism or Communism. (Applause.) …

Socialism is the sulphur. I. I. W.’ism is the niter which the radicals would mix into the TNT of rebellion and blow this government to atoms, and they are trying to tunnel under the capital at Washington with a keg of powder in one hand and a box of matches and a fuse in the other.

Now, sir, efforts are being made against every form of authority, whether that authority is from the church or whether it is from the government or the state — they don’t give a hoot. I will tell you now that we will make our rivers run blood before we ever see the land of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln trampled under the feet of those virulent scabs. (Applause.)

The Lowest Down Scoundrel

… I would not lift my voice nor I would not journey to Philadelphia nor any place else to say anything, my friends, that would prevent the immigration of worthy Europeans. We have got millions of such and they are 100 per cent Americans, (applause) but I tell you what I would do: I would knock into a cocked hat and higher than Gilroy’s kite the theory, sir, that America has got to be forever the dumping ground for foreign filth. (Applause.) I mean the class that no other country wants. The devil himself would not have them. They have got the instincts of a dog without his fidelity. That is the bunch I mean. Say, we have made American citizenship too cheap: we have allowed every creature that calls himself a man and wears whiskers and poses on his hind legs to sway the scepter of American sovereignty and become a factor in framing public opinion. We have made ’er too cheap. I tell you. You are suffering for it right now. (Applause.)

No man, my friends, who swerves in the slightest degree from absolute loyalty to Americanism and the law has any right to ask or claim to be called an American citizen….

That is all we ask, yes, sir: but we can’t compete with this promiscuous importation nowadays. An American has got to have meat once a day and a bath once a week. (Laughter.) You can’t compete with a fellow who takes up his belly-band for breakfast, no; eats spaghetti and hot dog and rye bread for lunch, and sucks in his limburger cheese for supper. No, no, sir.

America Sustains the World

It so happens that America is placed in a position where the fate of the world depends largely on her conduct. If we lose our heads down goes civilization. Woe to the world if this nation wobbles out of her orbit of liberty. The mission of America seems to be to salvage the world from the wreck of war. That seems to be what we are here for. Woe to the man that staggers away from the duty be owes to his God and his country, sir….

Do you know what America needs? She needs a tidal wave of the old-time religion. (Applause.) Without religion we are in a dismal swamp. My friends, religious indifference is always followed by moral decay. You can study the history of the world and whenever people become indifferent to religion you will find low down morals and disrespect for law.

Source: Billy Sunday, “‘Americanism,’ Address by Billy Sunday” (Philadelphia: Law Enforcement League of Philadelphia, April 10, 1922), 22–23, 26–32, 34–37, 41–47.

Revival in the Rust Belt: What the Numbers Reveal About Billy Sunday’s Evangelistic Impact (1912-1915)

By Kraig McNutt

In the early 20th century, few public figures stirred the American soul quite like Billy Sunday. A former professional baseball player turned dynamic evangelist, Sunday launched revival campaigns that were part gospel meeting, part moral crusade, and entirely unforgettable.

But beyond the sawdust trails and thunderous preaching, what do the numbers tell us about his real impact?

Let’s dive into an analysis of over twenty of Sunday’s campaigns—spanning from the industrial sprawl of Philadelphia to the steel towns of Ohio and Pennsylvania—to find out.

Big Cities, Big Numbers

Unsurprisingly, the nation’s largest cities saw the highest total conversions:

  • Philadelphia (1915): 41,724 conversions
  • Pittsburgh, PA (1914): 26,601 conversions
  • Columbus, OH (1912): 18,137 conversions

Impressive, no doubt. But when measured per capita, a surprising truth emerges…

The Real Revival Was in Small-Town America

Here’s where it gets fascinating:

  • Beaver Falls, PA (1912): 6,000 conversions in a city of 12,191 – nearly 49%!
  • East Liverpool, OH (1912): 6,354 conversions in a population of 20,387 – over 31%
  • Steubenville, OH (1912): 7,888 conversions out of 22,391 – over 35%

In these towns, Sunday didn’t just stir hearts—he helped reshape the entire community’s spiritual identity.

A Strategy Rooted in the Industrial Heartland

Most of Sunday’s campaigns concentrated in:

  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • West Virginia
  • Indiana

Why here?

These regions were filled with working-class cities grappling with the social challenges of industrialization: alcoholism, labor unrest, poverty, and moral uncertainty.

Sunday’s sermons, full of vivid illustrations and uncompromising moral appeals, landed powerfully in these settings. He spoke their language, addressed their fears, and challenged their habits.

His Peak Impact Years: 1912–1914

Many of the most spiritually responsive campaigns occurred just before World War I:

  • Scranton (1914)
  • Wilkes-Barre (1913)
  • McKeesport (1914)
  • Des Moines (1914)
  • Johnstown (1913)

This was Sunday’s sweet spot—a season where both momentum and message aligned. Before the war brought cultural upheaval, Sunday’s campaigns offered a moral anchor to cities teetering on the edge of change.

The Bottom Line: Revival by the Numbers

Across 23 cities analyzed:

  • Total population: 3,559,070
  • Total conversions: 250,872
  • Average conversion rate: ~7.05%

That’s 1 in every 14 people making a spiritual decision.

But the real story is this: Sunday’s numerical reach was greatest in big cities, but his transformational impact was most profound in smaller towns where community bonds were tighter, distractions were fewer, and the message spread like wildfire.

Final Thoughts: When Revival Was a Shared Story

Billy Sunday didn’t have Instagram reels or livestream sermons. He had sawdust floors, a voice like thunder, and a message about Jesus that could shake a city.

And in towns like Beaver Falls, East Liverpool, and Steubenville, it did more than shake—it changed lives. Not in abstract theological terms, but in the daily rhythms of work, family, and community.

In these places, revival wasn’t just a moment. It was a movement.

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Total population 3,559,070
Total conversions 250,872

Data from The Man and His Message, Ellis

The Tabernacle at Scranton

​Billy Sunday commenced his seven-week evangelistic campaign in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 1914. The opening day was marked by a significant snowstorm, later referred to as the “Billy Sunday Snowstorm,” which resulted in approximately 2,500 attendees being stranded overnight in the temporary tabernacle constructed for the revival. The campaign concluded in mid-April 1914.

The Man and His Message, Ellis