7 h 18 minAudiobook12 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 18 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the people trusted to guide a community become the subjects of accusation?
In Crimes of Preachers in the United States and Canada, M. E. Billings challenges clerical authority from within the freethought tradition. The book belongs to a world of lecturers, newspapers and small publishers arguing against church influence in public life after the American Civil War.
At its heart are questions of trust and power. Ministers hold moral authority and enter homes, families and private troubles. Collections of this kind gather reports of wrongdoing to challenge that authority. Billings argues one side, making the reliability of sources a vital question to keep beside you as you read.
What you’ll discover
- The freethought movement Explore the North American setting in which critics openly contest the influence of organized religion.
- A catalogue of cases Consider how collections of reported incidents build an argument against the authority of ministers.
- Trust and power Reflect on what is at stake when communities place moral trust in their pastors.
- Clerical authority under scrutiny Meet a sharply critical perspective on the gap between religious authority and reported conduct.
- Reading with care Keep source reliability in view as you weigh a work that argues one side.
Who will love it
This suits readers who enjoy the history of religious controversy, freethought, and newspaper culture, and anyone curious about how a single list can be turned into a case.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An actor's challenge starts the project
- Claims of moral authority invite a test
- Belief and good conduct are not the same
- Clergy themselves explain why ministers go wrong
- Pay, training, and business distrust
- The press defense fails and secrecy hides cases
- Crusaders for virtue appear on the list too
- The tables count crimes and denominations
- The list is built from print and public reports
- How the book is used and how to read it
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 12 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Les crimes des prédicateurs aux États-Unis et au Canada
An actor's 1906 challenge frames a catalogue's argument through nearly five thousand charges against preachers.
Medium level2–5 hours to readfrançais
Learn a language with medium classicsEspagnolFrançaisAllemandItalienJaponaisPortugaisAnglaisHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
In 1906 a Pittsburgh Christian association turned down an actor because his trade could not be moral. The actor, Henry E. Dixey, offered a thousand dollars to charity if anyone could show that actors were worse than ministers.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An actor's challenge starts the project
In 1906 the Young Men's Christian Association of Pittsburgh refused an actor because his work was thought incompatible with morality. Henry E. Dixey took this as an insult to all performers. He offered a thousand dollars to charity if anyone could prove actors were worse than ministers.
No defender of the clergy stepped forward. He offered a second thousand if a minister could not be found in jail in every state. Again no reply came, but his own rough count found forty-three ministers and nineteen actors behind bars.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 12 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- français
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Billings, M. E. Crimes of Preachers in the United States and Canada. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/crimes-of-preachers-in-the-united-states-and-canada.
Billings, M. E. (2026). Crimes of preachers in the United States and Canada. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/crimes-of-preachers-in-the-united-states-and-canada
Billings, M. E. Crimes of Preachers in the United States and Canada. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/crimes-of-preachers-in-the-united-states-and-canada.
@book{billings2026crimes,
author = {Billings, M. E.},
title = {Crimes of Preachers in the United States and Canada},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/crimes-of-preachers-in-the-united-states-and-canada}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Les crimes des prédicateurs aux États-Unis et au Canada
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Crimes of Preachers about?
It argues that churches should be judged by the conduct of their ministers. An opening essay makes the case, and a long alphabetical record lists clergy named in newspapers for offenses ranging from theft to violent crime.
Who published Crimes of Preachers in the United States and Canada?
The Truth Seeker Company of New York, a freethought publisher, issued it. The first edition appeared in 1881, and work on this revision began in late fall 1914, after publication of the ninth edition.
How many ministers and charges does the book list?
The book counts 3,795 ministers and 4,987 charges. Adultery is the most frequent charge at 676, and Methodists are the most frequent denomination where it is known, with Baptists and Catholics following.
The author
M. E. Billings
Writer
M. E. Billings is named as the compiler of this volume, which was published by the Truth Seeker Company of New York. Little is recorded here about the compiler. The book itself shows a freethought press of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which produced pamphlets and periodicals arguing against church privilege and in favor of reason and free inquiry.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in philosophy & ideas
See all
