From the Kitchen Table to the World

By Lindsay Terry

Song: “The Old Rugged Cross”

Scripture: “They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between” (John 19:17-18).

When polls are taken to determine what are the most popular American hymns, invariably near the top of the list is “The Old Rugged Cross”. The popularity of this hymn started during the Billy Sunday campaigns in the earlier parts of the 20^th century. Some claim the song was written between December 29, 1912, and January 12, 1913. What is certain is that it has been by far the most popular of the approximate three hundred songs written by George Bennard, who lived from 1873 to 1958.

Bennard was born into a very modest family in Youngstown, Ohio. His father passed away during George’s teen years, leaving the youth with the tremendous responsibility of helping his mother and his brothers and sisters. To that end, he became a coal miner like his father before him.

The Salvation Army, which has been a helper of “others” for so many years, was an attraction to Bennard and his young wife, who joined their ranks and worked with the “Army” for a number of years.

Bennard later felt impressed of the Lord to become an itinerant evangelist, in a time when it was tough to be on the road. He served for years in Canada and some of our northern states. It is also reported that he felt puzzled that others of his hymns did not become as accepted and used by masses of people as “The Old Rugged Cross.”

Bennard’s favorite Scripture verse, John 3:16 (which he quoted often), did not become worn or threadbare to him, with the oft quoting of it, but more alive and deeper in meaning. He seemed to always have a vision of a cross when quoting the verse—a crude Roman cross, stained with the blood of Christ, God’s only Son, who gave His life for our salvation.

One day, as he was thinking of that scene, an original melody ran through his mind—“a complete melody,” he later reported, but very few words came with it. He struggled to write lyrics, but all that came were the words, “I’ll cherish the old rugged cross.”

The song seemed to take shape in bits and pieces. He completed the chorus, but the verses did not seem proper and fitting to him. Shortly thereafter he preached in a Friends Church in Sawyer, Wisc., and a Methodist Church in Pokagan, Mich., in the southwest part of the state. During those meetings he sang his song for the people and they responded favorably, but he was not satisfied.

Following the meetings in Pokagan, he was scheduled to speak in New York State, where he majored on the theme of the cross. Numbers of people were trusting in what Christ had done for them on the cross as payment for their sins, confessing Him as their Savior and Lord. Bennard felt that the Lord was revealing to him, in a more meaningful manner, Christ’s love as demonstrated at Calvary.

He returned to his home, in Albion, Michigan, thrilled with the experiences in New York, and with a renewed meaning of the cross etched into his mind and heart. He went to the kitchen table, took the manuscript that he had so labored on, and in just a short period of time was able to rewrite the stanzas with each word falling perfectly into place. He called his wife and joyfully sang it to her. She loved the song very much.

He then sent the manuscript to Charles H. Gabriel in Chicago, asking him if he would write the proper chords with the melody line. Gabriel did so and returned the song with the message, “You will hear from this song.” Others who heard the completed song were also very pleased and made similar predictions.

Bennard said what I have heard countless other songwriters say, “I really hadn’t written it. I was merely the instrument that God used.” A State of Michigan Historic Site marker stands at the site on Michigan Avenue in Albion where Bennard wrote the song.

George Bennard lived his retirement years in Reed City, Mich., and died there in 1958. His last trip to Albion, where he wrote the song, occurred in June 1958 just a few months before his death in October. The first verse of his song:

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Reflection: How marvelous that Christ’s cross of shame became to you and me a badge of honor. The pain and suffering that He endured there was for our eternal deliverance.

Lindsay Terry has been a song historian for more than 40 years,
and has been published in a number of publications, including Pulpit Helps.
He has also written some 34 books and church training manuals.\

Pulpit Helps Magazine, a ministry of AMG International, is the pastor’s one-stop-shop for tools to effectively serve a congregation. Founded in 1975 by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, Pulpit Helps is dedicated to the mission of equipping our readers with a greater understanding of the words of Scripture so that they can adequately fulfill their calling as Christ’s ambassadors. It is to that end that we provide sermon starters, bulletin inserts, illustrations and quality articles on preaching, counseling, Christian living, and more.