The story behind the hymns. Or I will always love that cross in its
triumphs. My glory will be and one day, instead of a cross,
my jesus crown will give me. The hymn we are highlighting is generally considered
one of the most popular evangelical hymns of the 20th century. His popularity reached
its peak during the evangelizing campaigns of Billy Sonday and Homer Rowl, Tiaber in
the early decades of the 20th century. However, this hymn is still sentimentally
one of the favorites of young and old alike on Mount Calvary written by George
Penr, a Methodist evangelist. In the year nineteen hundred and thirteen, George
Benar accepted Christ as his personal savior. At an early age. After the
death of his father, George had to assume only the maintenance of his mother
and four brothers when he was only sixteen years old. This made it impossible
for him to continue further preparation for the Christian ministry. Instead, he joined
the Salvation Army as an active member. Benard and his first wife collaborated for
several years as officers in this organization. The composer greatly attributed to his experiences
in that ministry the inspiration that led him to write on Mount Calvary. Although
self- taught, Benar was eventually ordained by the Methodist Episcopal Church, where
his vow ministry was highly appreciated for many years. He also became involved in
running revival cults. During that time he went through a particularly painful experience that
led him to reflect seriously on the meaning of the Cross and what the apostle
Paul meant. When he spoke of participating in the sufferings of Christ, Benart
began to spend long hours of study, prayer and meditation until one day he
could say I saw the Christ of the Cross as if I were seeing John
three sixteen. Let the printed page take shape and represent the meaning of redemption.
The more I contemplated those truths, the more I convinced myself that the
Cross was much more than just a religious symbol. It was the true heart
of the Gospel. During those days of spiritual struggle, the theme for Mount
Calvary began to take shape in his mind, but an inner voice seemed to
keep telling him to wait. In addition, the pressure of the obligations in
the preparation of campaigns prevented Benard from finishing the anthem at that time. Finally,
however, he began to focus again on his project and soon the words
and melody began to flow freely from his heart. The inspiration came to me
a day of nine hundred and thirteen. I composed the melody first, but
the words of the finished hymn were put into my heart as answers to my
own personal need. Shortly after, the final version was released. At special
meetings, the hymn was first sung using Benart' s handwritten copy and made
by a choir of only five voices in a small church. It is still
celebrated in this church on the day of Mount Calvary and on a large nearby
rock are carved the names of the five original singers of the anthem and the
meaning of that memorable one. Sunday of nineteen hundred and thirteen, shortly after
writing the hymn, George Benar sent a copy of the manuscript to Charles Gabriel,
one of the leading writers of evangelical hymns of that period. Gabriel'
s prophetic words were, I assure you, that there would be a lot
of talk about this song, Mr Benark, and they were soon fulfilled.
As Mount Calvary became one of the most widely published hymns, it has been
recorded more than any other hymn in prisons and prisons is known as the prisoner
' s anthem. After writing this hymn, George Benar followed his evangelizing ministries.
For forty more years he wrote other hymns, but none of them ever
received the answer he received on Mount Calvary in a thousand nine hundred and fifty
- eight. At the age of eighty- five, George Benner exchanged his
cross for a crown. Only Eternity will fully reveal the number of lives that
God has touched through this evangelizing hymn of simple and easy- to- song expression.