Ephesians 5:19 exhorts Christians to speak to one another "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." Ten Great Hymn Writers and their Hymns introduces readers to the great wealth of hymns and spiritual songs we have inherited from past generations, focusing on the stories of seven men and three women-including a child prodigy, a believer who converted after a wild and reckless youth, and one who was blind from childhood-but the main focus is on their hymns, which should continue to be sung.
Endorsements
"This book introduces us to ten great hymn writers and some of their hymns that continue to be sung in many churches today. We glimpse into the backgrounds, lives, and, importantly, the hymn writers' trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It references favorite tunes, preferred versions, and personal meaning from Peter, all of which make this an interesting and edifying read. However, to think that this was just a book about hymn writers, I believe, misses the heart of what makes this book meaningful.
The focus, as I see it, is not to glorify people from history and their poetic and musical skills but to glorify God and to point readers to the Lord Jesus Christ. People who love the Lord, as the hymn writers did, can be taken up with hymns of praise to Him; whereas Peter's desire for people who have not yet trusted Christ is that they would be captivated by the beauty of the Savior and turn to Him in repentance and faith."
-Pastor Stuart Davis
Trinity Road Chapel
"I have often thought what an untapped, apologetic support for the genuineness of the Christian faith is found in the multiple thousands of Christian hymns composed over the centuries. The people of God simply cannot remain silent. God is that great! And He is that good! And those with requisite skill and creativity have expressed this greatness and goodness in hymns that extol our glorious God and His gracious salvation in Christ.
Peter Currie provides a window into some of the richness of this history as he explores ten of the most skillful, influential, and productive hymn writers of the English tradition. What a feast awaits those who explore these pages! One is reminded over and again of rich biblical and theological truths that are so precious, rich, stirring, and life-shaping that they simply must be sung! We owe a great debt of gratitude to these godly hymn writers and to our author for reminding us and for instructing us in ways that expose something of the brilliance of our God through the excellence of these hymnic expressions of His glory and praise."
-Bruce A. Ware, Professor of Christian Theology
Southern Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
