Our Hymn Writers And Their Hymns

The people of God have always had cause to sing, and who has more reason to sing than the one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ, the joy of sin forgiven and the certainty of a life to come? Throughout the Old and New Testaments, believers marked God's mighty acts of deliverance in song. Hymns based on the great themes of the Christian message have their own unique ministry to mind and heart, renewing faith and hope in God especially in days of spiritual decline and apathy. In this work, Faith Cook traces the development of the Christian hymn from the early period of the Christian Church to the present day. Biographical sketches of a number of our best-known writers from the past figure here. We are also introduced to some of the lesser-known poets such as Paul Gerhardt, Samuel Crossman and Samuel Medley. Love for God and the great truths of the gospel shine out through the words of these men and women of faith. More than this, we also discover how their individual personalities and circumstances are reflected in the hymns they wrote.We can only stand amazed as we read of the demonstration of their faith, often in the face of severe persecution and hardship, which has been so wonderfully expressed in verse. It is our privilege to have available to us the lives and work of such gifted writers to enhance our worship. Their words stir us up, both as congregations and personally, to express our thankfulness to God.One day the whole redeemed church of the Lord Jesus Christ will join in one great anthem of praise to his glory

Women have made an amazing, creative, and prolific contribution to hymnody through the centuries of Christian worship. Excluded from liturgical commissions and denied other opportunities for involvement in the worship of the churches, women were able to express and influence spirituality in the writing of hymns. This influence spreads across the whole range of hymn-writing, including writing for children, which was at one time seen as women's natural place, but also the introduction of new voices through translations; engagement in social campaigns such as temperance and the abolition of slavery; mission and evangelism; and the general development of worshipping life. However, with the exception of the nineteenth century, the voices of women have been largely silenced or marginalized. The "Hymn Explosion" of the 1960s onward almost completely ignored women's writing, and there has only recently been something of a recovery. There is much more to Our Song than people think! This book opens up women's writing from the beginnings of Christianity, through the Middle Ages, the development of printing and the rise of popular hymnody to the present day. Living hymn-writers add their voices in a series of biographical "stories," which complete the overarching story of Our Song.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.

Consider the worshipful lyrics of "Holy, Holy, Holy"; the comforting assurance of "His Eye Is On the Sparrow"; the trusting submission of "Have Thine Own Way, Lord"; the bold declaration made by "O for a Thousand Tongues." They are some of our greatest hymns--and some of the most powerful words in Christendom. Lyrics that help us grasp the reality of faith, set to beautiful music that speaks to our hearts. The stories behind the hymns are powerful as well. In this book the authors have detailed the intriguing and often tragic circumstances from which many of our best-loved hymns came. They are stories about the private struggles and personal triumphs these men and women hymn writers experienced--stories that give their already-meaningful songs added significance. Great Christian Hymn Writers is a wonderful resource for worship services, devotional talks, and home schools, as well as for use in your private devotions. And it's worthwhile reading for anyone who's interested in learning where these hymns came from and how it is that they continue to affect us so much.

Excerpt from Hymn-Writers and Their Hymns "What! another hymn-book? Why surely the world has hymn-books enough." Well, that may be, and yet here is something like another. It is something like another, as there are hymns in it; and yet it is rather unlike any other, in that it has the hymns interwoven with what may be called gossip, innocent, and, it is hoped, not unpleasant gossip, about the hymns and those who wrote them. Who does not like to know the why, the when, and the wherefore of men and things? Who does not love a chat about the people and the affairs which interest him? Here, then, is chat about hymns, their birth and parentage, their circumstances, their character and their influence. These pages make no pretensions to learning that is left to the doctors. Nor do they aim at criticism, that belongs to those who go up the Rhine. Neither do they affect the style of history that has been well done in other volumes. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.