“On a hill far away”: George Bennard, a travelling evangelist, and the story of “The Old Rugged Cross”
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame.” For more than a century, those words have been sung at revivals, Sunday services and funerals across the world.
The hymn was written by George Bennard, an American evangelist. Bennard was born in 1873 in Youngstown, Ohio, and grew up in Iowa. His father died when he was a teenager, and he had to work in coal mines to support his family. He was converted at a Salvation Army meeting and later served with the Salvation Army before becoming a Methodist evangelist, travelling from town to town to preach at revival meetings.
The writing and first performance
Bennard said the hymn came to him during a period of personal trial, as he reflected on the meaning of the cross. He wrote the melody first, and the words took time to complete. He finished the hymn in 1912. “The Old Rugged Cross” was first sung publicly in 1913 at a revival meeting in Pokagon, Michigan. Both Michigan and Wisconsin towns claim a connection to its early history, and a historical marker in Pokagon remembers the event.
The hymn spread quickly after it was published and was popularised by the gospel singer Homer Rodeheaver, who worked with the evangelist Billy Sunday.
The message
The hymn focuses on the cross not as a symbol of glory but as an “emblem of suffering and shame”, which the singer has come to love because Christ died there for sinners. The chorus, “So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down”, looks forward to exchanging it for a crown.
Its theology echoes Paul: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
Recordings and Africa
The hymn has been recorded by countless artists, including Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash and Alan Jackson. It became a favourite of country music audiences and was frequently voted among the most loved hymns in the United States. Missionaries and radio carried the hymn to Africa. In Ghana and Nigeria, it is sung in English and translated into local languages at funerals, Good Friday services and crusades.
Bennard's life
Bennard continued his evangelistic work for decades and wrote many other hymns, but none matched the success of “The Old Rugged Cross”. He died in 1958 in Michigan. The hymn’s slow waltz rhythm and simple melody make it easy for congregations to sing. It remains one of the most requested hymns at funerals. Bennard called the cross rugged, ugly and shameful. His hymn has taught millions of people to call it precious.
