August 23, 2025 • 13 mins
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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Do you want to read about how to live faithfully? Check out the blog http://lyfe102.org
Get a free Road Map to get started learning how to study the Bible https://mailchi.mp/88f9c9405da0/bible-study-road-map
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Faithfully Living, the Podcast where we
learn how to live for Christ inour daily lives.
I am Dwan, your host, and Iwould like to invite you on a
journey with me to explore andlearn how to be a faithful
follower of Christ, of Christ.
(00:30):
Hey, everyone, welcome toFaithfully Living, the podcast,
where we strive to encourage youto live for Christ faithfully
by offering guidance on how tostudy the Bible, how to
understand the Bible better andhow to remain faithful to
historic Christianity in acontemporary society.
Worship, you know, it's a waythat we express our gratitude to
the Lord.
One way we typically worship isthrough music, and music has a
(00:53):
way of soothing our soul and ourheart, and music is a way of
ministering to us in differentways.
So we know God's word should bethe most important way to
comfort us, but, you know,sometimes music has a way of
(01:14):
comforting us too in those timesof need.
So music, you know, has had away of influencing our emotions,
our memories, through our dailylives, and I'm pretty sure if
you ever listen to a song, itcan make you feel happy, sad or
(01:34):
even nostalgic.
A lot of times, music that wehear are connected to certain
experiences that we have ourpeople, our places, and you know
it's no coincidence that musiccan invoke such strong emotions.
You know music has a way ofsimulating the brain's reward
(01:59):
centers and is closely tied withour emotions.
But you know it goes beyondjust what we feel but, like I
say, it goes to, you know,memories that we have that we
often associate with aparticular song.
So that's why the songs thatyou know we grew up listening to
(02:20):
tend to stick in our head thelongest.
They're tied to key memories inour lives.
Many of the hymns and spiritualsongs that were written have a
story behind them, and thesestories inspired the writers to
express their feelings ofsadness, joy, faith or
gratefulness through the words,and then a memorable melody was
(02:43):
often attached to the words thathad such a deep meaning.
And over the next couple ofepisodes we're going to explore,
like, the story behind familiarhymns and some of the songs
that we that we sing today.
In this episode we are going toexplore the doxology, which was
(03:04):
written by Thomas Kinn.
All right, so who was ThomasKynne?
(03:31):
Thomas Kynne was an influential17th century English bishop.
He was best known for penningthe famous doxology, which we
all know, that begins Praise Godfrom whom all blessings flow,
thomas Kinn.
He was born in 1637 in England.
(03:54):
His parents both died duringhis childhood and he grew up
under the guardianship of hissister and her husband.
I know I'm going to butcher thisname, but Isaac Isaac Walton
Thomas Kinn became one of themost influential figures in the
(04:15):
Church of England, but it's hisdevotion to both his faith and
integrity that really set himapart during his time.
So you see, kean, he justwasn't a hymn writer, but he was
also a man that stood up forwhat he believed, even when it
cost him everything.
So in 1684 he was appointed asBishop of Bath and Wells and he
(04:43):
was known for his moral courage,even, you know, refusing King
Charles II housing with hismistress at his residence.
I read one of the articles thatKing quickly declared his house
was under repair and had abuilder take the roof off so the
(05:06):
king couldn't stay at his place, which is kind of funny.
Despite his contributions tothe church King's's life, it
wasn't without hardships.
He lived at a turbulent timeduring the reign of both king
charles ii and king james ii.
Um, he was one of thoseso-called seven bishops that was
(05:28):
that who that opposed king kingII's Declaration of Indulgence
in 1688, which promotedreligious tolerance for
Catholics, and for his refusalto comply he was imprisoned in
(05:50):
the Tower of London.
In the Tower of London, andalthough he was later acquitted,
this stance cost him a position.
When William of Orange ascendedto the throne, he spent the
remaining of his life inrelative obscurity after that,
(06:13):
living in a retirement homeprovided by his friend Lord
Weldmuth at Longwood in Somerset.
Even in his later years, kenremained committed to his faith.
Ken remained committed to hisfaith.
He continued to write and prayand always centered his life on
(06:38):
what he could do for God's glory.
When he passed away in 1711, herequested that he would be
buried with six of the poorestmen in his parish, and I read
also that the final act ofhumility for a man whose life
(07:00):
was marked by devotion andservice.
But beyond his public role,thomas Kinn had a quieter but
equally powerful influence inworship.
He wrote hymns to guidestudents at Winchester College
for their daily prayers.
These hymns included Awake mySoul and With the Sun and Glory
(07:27):
to Thee, my God, this Night Weremeant to be sung in the morning
and evening.
Were meant to be sung in themorning and evening, and then,
at the end of each of thesehymns, is the familiar refrain
which we know as the doxology.
So so the doxology, simple yetprofound lines say Praise God,
(08:17):
from whom all blessings flow.
Praise him all creatures herebelow, has become a staple in
Christian worship.
I know I've sung it many, manytimes, but you know it wasn't
originally intended to standalone.
Thomas Kent included it in theclosing stanzas of, like I said,
(08:39):
his morning and his eveninghymns that he wrote, and his
intent was to remind believersto start and end their day with
praise to God.
So these are the words of thedoxology Praise God, from whom
all blessings flow.
Praise him all creatures herebelow.
Praise him above.
(09:01):
Ye heavenly hosts, praiseFather, son and Holy Ghost.
Praise Father, son and HolyGhost.
So it wasn't until after ThomasKinn's death in 1711 that the
doxology took a life of its own.
It began to be sung separatelyas a hymn and then often is set
(09:24):
to the tune of what we know asthe old 100.
You know, over centuries thedoxology has been sung across
the world in many churches andcathedrals as a universal
expression of faith andgratitude.
You know, it's amazing to thinkthat these simple words that
were once tucked away at the endof a hymn, is now sung by
(09:49):
millions of people each weekaround the world.
For Thomas Kinn they were just,not only in his hymns but in
(10:19):
the countless voices that liftup the doxology and worship
services around the world, inworship services around the
world.
You know it's a hymn thattranscends denominations,
cultures, languages, and it's areminder that, no matter our
circumstances, god is to beworthy of praise.
(10:39):
So Thomas Kinn's story is one ofstep by faith, even in the face
of adversity.
You, he, stood up to kingcharles.
You know it's not easy,probably, to stand up to a king
that's probably veryintimidating.
But his, you know, his doxologythat he wrote continues to be
(10:59):
um simple yet profoundexpression of christian
gratitude, and that's probablywhy it has endured, endured as
long as it has it has, becauseit's a reminder that you know,
you know, no matter what happensin life, we can, you know, give
thanks for the blessings thatwe have been given.
(11:20):
All right.
So I hope this exploration ofthe story behind the doxology is
, or has been, enlightening foryou.
I always encourage you to goand read up on it more.
But thanks for joining me todayon the podcast and I hope
Thomas Kinn's story inspires youto live a life of integrity,
(11:45):
faith and gratitude.
A life of integrity, faith andgratitude.
And until next time, rememberthat God is always good and he's
always faithful.
Thank you for listening to thepodcast.
Do me a favor by following thepodcast and leaving a review to
(12:09):
help spread the word.
I look forward to hearing fromyou.
Thank you.
Welcome to Faithfully Living, the Podcast where we
learn how to live for Christ inour daily lives.
I am Dwan, your host, and Iwould like to invite you on a
journey with me to explore andlearn how to be a faithful
follower of Christ, of Christ.
(00:30):
Hey, everyone, welcome toFaithfully Living, the podcast,
where we strive to encourage youto live for Christ faithfully
by offering guidance on how tostudy the Bible, how to
understand the Bible better andhow to remain faithful to
historic Christianity in acontemporary society.
Worship, you know, it's a waythat we express our gratitude to
the Lord.
One way we typically worship isthrough music, and music has a
(00:53):
way of soothing our soul and ourheart, and music is a way of
ministering to us in differentways.
So we know God's word should bethe most important way to
comfort us, but, you know,sometimes music has a way of
(01:14):
comforting us too in those timesof need.
So music, you know, has had away of influencing our emotions,
our memories, through our dailylives, and I'm pretty sure if
you ever listen to a song, itcan make you feel happy, sad or
(01:34):
even nostalgic.
A lot of times, music that wehear are connected to certain
experiences that we have ourpeople, our places, and you know
it's no coincidence that musiccan invoke such strong emotions.
You know music has a way ofsimulating the brain's reward
(01:59):
centers and is closely tied withour emotions.
But you know it goes beyondjust what we feel but, like I
say, it goes to, you know,memories that we have that we
often associate with aparticular song.
So that's why the songs thatyou know we grew up listening to
(02:20):
tend to stick in our head thelongest.
They're tied to key memories inour lives.
Many of the hymns and spiritualsongs that were written have a
story behind them, and thesestories inspired the writers to
express their feelings ofsadness, joy, faith or
gratefulness through the words,and then a memorable melody was
(02:43):
often attached to the words thathad such a deep meaning.
And over the next couple ofepisodes we're going to explore,
like, the story behind familiarhymns and some of the songs
that we that we sing today.
In this episode we are going toexplore the doxology, which was
(03:04):
written by Thomas Kinn.
All right, so who was ThomasKynne?
(03:31):
Thomas Kynne was an influential17th century English bishop.
He was best known for penningthe famous doxology, which we
all know, that begins Praise Godfrom whom all blessings flow,
thomas Kinn.
He was born in 1637 in England.
(03:54):
His parents both died duringhis childhood and he grew up
under the guardianship of hissister and her husband.
I know I'm going to butcher thisname, but Isaac Isaac Walton
Thomas Kinn became one of themost influential figures in the
(04:15):
Church of England, but it's hisdevotion to both his faith and
integrity that really set himapart during his time.
So you see, kean, he justwasn't a hymn writer, but he was
also a man that stood up forwhat he believed, even when it
cost him everything.
So in 1684 he was appointed asBishop of Bath and Wells and he
(04:43):
was known for his moral courage,even, you know, refusing King
Charles II housing with hismistress at his residence.
I read one of the articles thatKing quickly declared his house
was under repair and had abuilder take the roof off so the
(05:06):
king couldn't stay at his place, which is kind of funny.
Despite his contributions tothe church King's's life, it
wasn't without hardships.
He lived at a turbulent timeduring the reign of both king
charles ii and king james ii.
Um, he was one of thoseso-called seven bishops that was
(05:28):
that who that opposed king kingII's Declaration of Indulgence
in 1688, which promotedreligious tolerance for
Catholics, and for his refusalto comply he was imprisoned in
(05:50):
the Tower of London.
In the Tower of London, andalthough he was later acquitted,
this stance cost him a position.
When William of Orange ascendedto the throne, he spent the
remaining of his life inrelative obscurity after that,
(06:13):
living in a retirement homeprovided by his friend Lord
Weldmuth at Longwood in Somerset.
Even in his later years, kenremained committed to his faith.
Ken remained committed to hisfaith.
He continued to write and prayand always centered his life on
(06:38):
what he could do for God's glory.
When he passed away in 1711, herequested that he would be
buried with six of the poorestmen in his parish, and I read
also that the final act ofhumility for a man whose life
(07:00):
was marked by devotion andservice.
But beyond his public role,thomas Kinn had a quieter but
equally powerful influence inworship.
He wrote hymns to guidestudents at Winchester College
for their daily prayers.
These hymns included Awake mySoul and With the Sun and Glory
(07:27):
to Thee, my God, this Night Weremeant to be sung in the morning
and evening.
Were meant to be sung in themorning and evening, and then,
at the end of each of thesehymns, is the familiar refrain
which we know as the doxology.
So so the doxology, simple yetprofound lines say Praise God,
(08:17):
from whom all blessings flow.
Praise him all creatures herebelow, has become a staple in
Christian worship.
I know I've sung it many, manytimes, but you know it wasn't
originally intended to standalone.
Thomas Kent included it in theclosing stanzas of, like I said,
(08:39):
his morning and his eveninghymns that he wrote, and his
intent was to remind believersto start and end their day with
praise to God.
So these are the words of thedoxology Praise God, from whom
all blessings flow.
Praise him all creatures herebelow.
Praise him above.
(09:01):
Ye heavenly hosts, praiseFather, son and Holy Ghost.
Praise Father, son and HolyGhost.
So it wasn't until after ThomasKinn's death in 1711 that the
doxology took a life of its own.
It began to be sung separatelyas a hymn and then often is set
(09:24):
to the tune of what we know asthe old 100.
You know, over centuries thedoxology has been sung across
the world in many churches andcathedrals as a universal
expression of faith andgratitude.
You know, it's amazing to thinkthat these simple words that
were once tucked away at the endof a hymn, is now sung by
(09:49):
millions of people each weekaround the world.
For Thomas Kinn they were just,not only in his hymns but in
(10:19):
the countless voices that liftup the doxology and worship
services around the world, inworship services around the
world.
You know it's a hymn thattranscends denominations,
cultures, languages, and it's areminder that, no matter our
circumstances, god is to beworthy of praise.
(10:39):
So Thomas Kinn's story is one ofstep by faith, even in the face
of adversity.
You, he, stood up to kingcharles.
You know it's not easy,probably, to stand up to a king
that's probably veryintimidating.
But his, you know, his doxologythat he wrote continues to be
(10:59):
um simple yet profoundexpression of christian
gratitude, and that's probablywhy it has endured, endured as
long as it has it has, becauseit's a reminder that you know,
you know, no matter what happensin life, we can, you know, give
thanks for the blessings thatwe have been given.
(11:20):
All right.
So I hope this exploration ofthe story behind the doxology is
, or has been, enlightening foryou.
I always encourage you to goand read up on it more.
But thanks for joining me todayon the podcast and I hope
Thomas Kinn's story inspires youto live a life of integrity,
(11:45):
faith and gratitude.
A life of integrity, faith andgratitude.
And until next time, rememberthat God is always good and he's
always faithful.
Thank you for listening to thepodcast.
Do me a favor by following thepodcast and leaving a review to
(12:09):
help spread the word.
I look forward to hearing fromyou.
Thank you.
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