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Stories Behind the Hymns
The writers, faith, history and Scripture behind hymns that still speak to people today.
'It Is Well with My Soul': Tragedy, Faith and the Truth Behind the Hymn
Horatio Spafford wrote words of faith after devastating family loss. The documented history is powerful enough without adding details no record can prove.
Read article →Hymn History · 18 min'Amazing Grace': John Newton's Life and the Story Behind the World's Most Famous Hymn
John Newton's hymn grew from Christian teaching and a deeply flawed life that included years in the slave trade and a later public stand against it.
Read article →Hymn History · 11 min'How Great Thou Art': From a Swedish Poem to a Worldwide Hymn
A Swedish poem crossed languages and borders before Stuart K. Hine shaped the English hymn heard in Billy Graham crusades and Elvis recordings.
Read article →Hymn History · 7 minThe Story Behind 'Blessed Assurance'
Phoebe Knapp played a new melody, Fanny Crosby heard its message, and one of America's most confident hymns took shape.
Read article →Hymn History · 7 min'The Old Rugged Cross': How a Traveling Preacher Wrote an American Hymn
George Bennard developed the hymn over time, turning the shame of a Roman cross into a Christian song about sacrifice and hope.
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