Issue 31 The Golden Age of Hymns

What's inside

The Golden Age of Hymns: Did You Know?

Fascinating facts about the golden age of hymns.

James Townsend

The Golden Age of Hymns: From the Editor — Silent String

Imagine a church without music.

Kevin A. Miller

The Forgotten Wesley

Often overshadowed by his famous older brother, Charles Wesley has emerged as perhaps “the greatest hymnwriter of all ages.”

James Townsend

Radicals in Times of Revolution

Radical evangelists in a radical age.

James Townsend

Why Wesley Still Dominates Our Hymnbook

Two centuries later, what’s the secret of Charles Wesley’s undiminished popularity?

Timothy Dudley-Smith

The Hymn Explosion

In 1700, there were precious few English hymns. In 1800, there were hymnbooks galore. What happened?

Dr. Robin A. Leaver

Where Did We Get The Doxology?

The story behind what may be the world’s best-known hymn.

James D. Smith III

The Hymn Born in a Synagogue

How a Hebrew text and synagogue melody became a well-known Christian hymn.

Dr. James D. Smith III

The Golden Age of Hymns: A Gallery of the Hymn Writers’ Hall of Fame

The poets who put words in our mouths.

Vinita Hampton Wright

Other Important Hymn Writers

More hymnwriters who penned memorable lines we love.

the Editors

Christian History Timeline: The Golden Age of Hymns

Chronology of hymns and hymnwriters.

Paul Westermeyer

America’s Hesitation Over Hymns

Why did colonial churches resist the first British musical invasion?

David W. Music

Were Hymns Good Poetry?

They have endured. But does their lasting popularity prove their quality?

Jan Anderson

The Spiritual

In the furnace of slavery, a lasting musical form was forged.

Angela M. S. Nelson

What Did Slave Songs Sound Like?

The structure of slave songs.

Angela M. S. Nelson

A New Species of Christian Song

Where did the English hymn come from?

Madeleine Forell Marshall

Irrational Music Sung By a Mob of Extremists?

Why the Church of England disliked hymns.

Madeleine Forell Marshall

Three Hymnals That Shaped Today’s Worship

The hymnbooks of John Wesley, John Newton, and John Rippon endured for generations.

William J. Reynolds

The Golden Age of Hymns: Recommended Resources

More resources on hymns and hymnwriters.

the Editors

Bonus Section: Who Put the Gideon Bible in Your Hotel Room?

Nearly 100 years ago, two traveling strangers met by chance, never dreaming what they would start.

Kevin A. Miller

Down and Out From Beverly Hills

One man’s encounter with a Gideon Bible.

Paul Myers
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