From Wikipedia: Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos or Voes, were the first two Lutherans martyrs, executed by the Council of Brabant for their adherence to Reformation doctrine. They were burned at the stake in Brussels on 1 July 1523.[1] Background Essen and Vos were friars of the Order of Saint Augustine resident at the Augustinian priory in Antwerp, now St. Andrew’s Church. When in 1522 all the friars there publicly professed Lutheran doctrine, the Bishop of Cambrai had them all arrested Read more...

Hymn History: I Know Whom I Have Believed & Author: Daniel Webster Whittle     “Many years have passed since that night in the Richmond Hospital, and I am still trusting and confessing the Lord Jesus Christ, and purpose by God’s grace to continue doing so until He calls me Home.” (Daniel Webster Whittle)   The Origins of the Hymn Read more...

Hymn History: I Am Resolved & Author: Palmer Hartsough “His full life of ministry and continual service are a testament to what he suggests in this very hymn—that he spent his days working for things to come.” (Cameron Frank) The Origin of the Hymn “I Am Resolved” The hymn “I Am Resolved” has long served as a call to commitment Read more...

Hymn History: His Eye Is on the Sparrow & Author: Civilla D. Martin “Civilla Durfee Martin … was a schoolteacher with a modest musical training. She and her husband, Walter Stillman Martin, often wrote gospel songs for revival meetings.” (C. Michael Hawn)   The Origin of the Hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” Few hymns have touched as many Read more...

Hymn History: Hiding in Thee & Author: William O. Cushing “It must be said of this hymn [‘Hiding in Thee’] that it was the outgrowth of many tears, many heart-conflicts, and soul-yearnings, of which the world can know nothing. The history of many battles is behind it.” (William O. Cushing)   The Origin of the Hymn “Hiding in Thee” Few Read more...

Hymn History: He Leadeth Me & Author: Joseph H. Gilmore “I set out to give the people an exposition of the 23rd Psalm, which I had given before on three or four occasions, but this time I did not get further than the words ‘He Leadeth Me.’ Psalm 23:2, ‘he leadeth me beside the still waters,’ became the theme of Read more...

Hymn History: Grace Greater than All Our Sin & Author: Julia Harriette Johnston “Julia Harriette Johnston served as president of the Presbyterian Missionary Society of Peoria for 20 years, and wrote more than 500 hymns.” (The Cyber Hymnal)   The Origin of the Hymn “Grace Greater Than All Our Sin” Among the great hymns of the Christian faith that celebrate Read more...

Hymn History: Go Tell It on the Mountain & Publisher: John Wesley Work Jr. “”The reason why the Negro songs are so full of scripture, quoted and implied, is that for centuries the Bible was the only book he was allowed to ‘study,’ and it consumed all his time and attention.” (John Wesley Work II)   The Origin of the Read more...

Hymn History: Does Jesus Care? & Author: Frank E. Graeff “Known as the ‘sunshine minister’ of the Methodist denomination in the churches of the Philadelphia Conference, Frank Graeff was widely liked for his cheerful and winsome personality. C. Austin Miles, writer of the hymn ‘In the Garden’, said of him, ‘He is a spiritual optimist, a great friend of children; Read more...

Hymn History: Come Thou Fount & Author: Robert Robinson “For disentangling a subject from confusion, for the power of development, for genuine simplification, for invention — what writer ever surpassed Robinson of Cambridge?” (Edwin Hatfield)   The Origin of the Hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” Among the hymns that have stood the test of centuries, few express the Read more...

Hymn History: Break Thou the Bread of Life & Author: Mary Artemisia Lathbury Come, O Creator, Spirit blest! And in our souls take up Thy rest; Come, with Thy grace and heavenly aid, To fill the hearts which Thou has made.” (Mary Artemisia Lathbury)   The Origins of the Hymn “Break Thou the Bread of Life” Among the many hymns Read more...

Hymn History: Before the Throne of God Above & Author: Charitie Lees Bancroft “Thy way is best, my Father, Though full of clouds, it be.” (Charitie Lees Bancroft) The Origin of the Hymn “Before the Throne of God Above” Hymns have long served as theological guides, shaping the way believers understand and express their faith. Few hymns illustrate this better Read more...

“I am confirmed in my division of human energies. Ambitious people climb, but faithful people build.” “The strokes of the pen need deliberation as much as the sword needs swiftness.” (Julia Ward Howe) The Origin of the Hymn “Battle Hymn of the Republic” Few songs hold as deep a place in American history as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Read more...

“Surely martyrs, irrespective of the special phase of the divine idea for which they gladly give up their bodies to torture and to death, are the truest heroes of history.” (Katherine Lee Bates)   The Origin of the Hymn “America the Beautiful” Among the patriotic songs that stir the American heart, few have the same blend of reverence, poetry, and Read more...

“Mary Dagworthy James authored approximately 50 hymns and wrote articles for several publications, including the Guide to Holiness, The New York Christian Advocate, The Contributor, The Christian Witness, The Christian Woman, The Christian Standard, and the Ocean Grove Record” (Hymnary)   The Origin of the Hymn “All for Jesus” by Mary Dagworthy James Among the hymns that speak of complete Read more...