The Enduring Legacy of the Doxology

Can music transcend time and adversity to touch the hearts of believers worldwide? This episode of Faithfullyliven promises to explore that fascinating question through the life and legacy of 17th-century English bishop Thomas Ken. Known for his unwavering faith and integrity, Ken penned the doxology "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow," a hymn that resonates with Christians globally. Discover how a piece initially intended for Winchester College students became a universal staple in worship, and what Ken's life teaches us about living with grace and gratitude despite personal and political trials.


Reference for the show
Hymnary.org
101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck (1982)

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Chapters

• 0:05 The Power of the Doxology
• 11:22 The Story Behind the Doxology

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to Faithfully Living, the Podcast where we learn how to live for Christ in our daily lives. I am Dwan, your host, and I would like to invite you on a journey with me to explore and learn how to be a faithful follower of Christ, of Christ. Hey, everyone, welcome to Faithfully Living, the podcast, where we strive to encourage you to live for Christ faithfully by offering guidance on how to study the Bible, how to understand the Bible better and how to remain faithful to historic Christianity in a contemporary society. Worship, you know, it's a way that we express our gratitude to the Lord. One way we typically worship is through music, and music has a way of soothing our soul and our heart, and music is a way of ministering to us in different ways. So we know God's word should be the most important way to comfort us, but, you know, sometimes music has a way of comforting us too in those times of need. So music, you know, has had a way of influencing our emotions, our memories, through our daily lives, and I'm pretty sure if you ever listen to a song, it can make you feel happy, sad or even nostalgic. A lot of times, music that we hear are connected to certain experiences that we have our people, our places, and you know it's no coincidence that music can invoke such strong emotions. You know music has a way of simulating the brain's reward centers and is closely tied with our emotions. But you know it goes beyond just what we feel but, like I say, it goes to, you know, memories that we have that we often associate with a particular song. So that's why the songs that you know we grew up listening to tend to stick in our head the longest. They're tied to key memories in our lives. Many of the hymns and spiritual songs that were written have a story behind them, and these stories inspired the writers to express their feelings of sadness, joy, faith or gratefulness through the words, and then a memorable melody was often attached to the words that had such a deep meaning. And over the next couple of episodes we're going to explore, like, the story behind familiar hymns and some of the songs that we that we sing today.

Speaker 1: 3:00

In this episode we are going to explore the doxology, which was written by Thomas Kinn. All right, so who was Thomas Kynne? Thomas Kynne was an influential 17th century English bishop. He was best known for penning the famous doxology, which we all know, that begins Praise God from whom all blessings flow, thomas Kinn. He was born in 1637 in England. His parents both died during his childhood and he grew up under the guardianship of his sister and her husband.

Speaker 1: 4:05

I know I'm going to butcher this name, but Isaac Isaac Walton Thomas Kinn became one of the most influential figures in the Church of England, but it's his devotion to both his faith and integrity that really set him apart during his time. So you see, kean, he just wasn't a hymn writer, but he was also a man that stood up for what he believed, even when it cost him everything. So in 1684 he was appointed as Bishop of Bath and Wells and he was known for his moral courage, even, you know, refusing King Charles II housing with his mistress at his residence. I read one of the articles that King quickly declared his house was under repair and had a builder take the roof off so the king couldn't stay at his place, which is kind of funny. Despite his contributions to the church King's's life, it wasn't without hardships. He lived at a turbulent time during the reign of both king charles ii and king james ii. Um, he was one of those so-called seven bishops that was that who that opposed king king II's Declaration of Indulgence in 1688, which promoted religious tolerance for Catholics, and for his refusal to comply he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In the Tower of London, and although he was later acquitted, this stance cost him a position. When William of Orange ascended to the throne, he spent the remaining of his life in relative obscurity after that, living in a retirement home provided by his friend Lord Weldmuth at Longwood in Somerset.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Even in his later years, ken remained committed to his faith. Ken remained committed to his faith. He continued to write and pray and always centered his life on what he could do for God's glory. When he passed away in 1711, he requested that he would be buried with six of the poorest men in his parish, and I read also that the final act of humility for a man whose life was marked by devotion and service.

Speaker 1: 7:03

But beyond his public role, thomas Kinn had a quieter but equally powerful influence in worship. He wrote hymns to guide students at Winchester College for their daily prayers. These hymns included Awake my Soul and With the Sun and Glory to Thee, my God, this Night Were meant to be sung in the morning and evening. Were meant to be sung in the morning and evening, and then, at the end of each of these hymns, is the familiar refrain which we know as the doxology. So so the doxology, simple yet profound lines say Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below, has become a staple in Christian worship. I know I've sung it many, many times, but you know it wasn't originally intended to stand alone. Thomas Kent included it in the closing stanzas of, like I said, his morning and his evening hymns that he wrote, and his intent was to remind believers to start and end their day with praise to God. So these are the words of the doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above. Ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, son and Holy Ghost. Praise Father, son and Holy Ghost.

Speaker 1: 9:06

So it wasn't until after Thomas Kinn's death in 1711 that the doxology took a life of its own. It began to be sung separately as a hymn and then often is set to the tune of what we know as the old 100. You know, over centuries the doxology has been sung across the world in many churches and cathedrals as a universal expression of faith and gratitude. You know, it's amazing to think that these simple words that were once tucked away at the end of a hymn, is now sung by millions of people each week around the world. For Thomas Kinn they were just, not only in his hymns but in the countless voices that lift up the doxology and worship services around the world, in worship services around the world. You know it's a hymn that transcends denominations, cultures, languages, and it's a reminder that, no matter our circumstances, god is to be worthy of praise.

Speaker 1: 10:39

So Thomas Kinn's story is one of step by faith, even in the face of adversity. You, he, stood up to king charles. You know it's not easy, probably, to stand up to a king that's probably very intimidating. But his, you know, his doxology that he wrote continues to be um simple yet profound expression of christian gratitude, and that's probably why it has endured, endured as long as it has it has, because it's a reminder that you know, you know, no matter what happens in life, we can, you know, give thanks for the blessings that we have been given. All right.

Speaker 1: 11:22

So I hope this exploration of the story behind the doxology is, or has been, enlightening for you. I always encourage you to go and read up on it more. But thanks for joining me today on the podcast and I hope Thomas Kinn's story inspires you to live a life of integrity, faith and gratitude. A life of integrity, faith and gratitude. And until next time, remember that God is always good and he's always faithful. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Do me a favor by following the podcast and leaving a review to help spread the word. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.