Learn the surprising history shared by some of today’s most popular hymns. How did “How Great Thou Art,” an obscure Swedish hymn, get covered by Elvis? How did “Just as I Am” save Johnny Cash? How did dc Talk sanctify ’90s pop rock? In short: the Billy Graham crusades. Music animated these evangelistic extravaganzas, all of it carefully orchestrated by the “chord of three”: celebrated preacher Billy Graham, Gospel Music Hall of Fame baritone George Beverly Shea, and choral conductor and emcee Clifford Barrows. And the crusades went on to change the larger face of American music, influencing iconic popular artists in the second half of the twentieth century. The crusade songbook also took root in churches, its use spreading beyond evangelical soil into mainline Protestant and Catholic congregations. In Songs I Love to Sing, Edith L. Blumhofer narrates the “biographies” of some of the most beloved songs in modern hymnody with verve and affection. Move beyond mere nostalgia. Discover the fascinating stories behind the soundtrack of American Christianity.
Learn the surprising history shared by some of today’s most popular hymns. How did “How Great Thou Art,” an obscure Swedish hymn, get covered by Elvis? How did “Just as I Am” save Johnny Cash? How did dc Talk sanctify ’90s pop rock? In short: the Billy Graham crusades. Music animated these evangelistic extravaganzas, all of it carefully orchestrated by the “chord of three”: celebrated preacher Billy Graham, Gospel Music Hall of Fame baritone George Beverly Shea, and choral conductor and emcee Clifford Barrows. And the crusades went on to change the larger face of American music, influencing iconic popular artists in the second half of the twentieth century. The crusade songbook also took root in churches, its use spreading beyond evangelical soil into mainline Protestant and Catholic congregations. In Songs I Love to Sing, Edith L. Blumhofer narrates the “biographies” of some of the most beloved songs in modern hymnody with verve and affection. Move beyond mere nostalgia. Discover the fascinating stories behind the soundtrack of American Christianity.
American Pentecostalism began as a culturally isolated sect intent upon announcing the imminence of the world's end. The sect's early millenarian fervor gradually became muted in favor of flag-waving patriotism. At the end of the twentieth century it has become an affluent, worldwide movement thoroughly entrenched in popular culture. Edith Blumhofer uses the Assemblies of God, the largest classical Pentecostal denomination in the world, as a lens through which to view the changing nature of Anglo Pentecostalism in the United States. She illustrates how the original mission to proclaim the end resulted in the development of Bible schools, the rise of the charismatic movement, and the popularity of such figures as Aimee Semple McPherson, Charles Fox Parham, and David Du Plessis. Blumhofer also examines the sect's use of radio and television and the creation of a parallel Christian culture
A religious leader who strongly identified with ordinary folk, she attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal followers throughout the United States and Canada.
Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915) was the most prolific of all American hymn writers. Having lost her sight in infancy through a doctor's negligence, Fanny went on to compose more than 9,000 hymns, as well as various other songs, cantatas, and lyrical productions. Crosby's hymns, including such all-time favorites as "Blessed Assurance," continue to be sung around the world. She was also involved with New York City's rescue missions and with other benevolent efforts. She rubbed shoulders with the likes of Henry Clay, Grover Cleveland, Winfield Scott, Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey, Jenny Lind, P.T. Barnum, and many other famous figures who people these pages. Drawing on primary sources, including thousands of unpublished manuscripts, Blumhofer sorts fact from fiction in the life of this remarkable nineteenth-century northeastern Protestant woman, in the process showing why "this diminutive woman" was so beloved.--From publisher description.
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