Reverend Thomas Ken, Author of “The Doxology”

Thomas Ken (1637-1711). He was an Anglican minister and a hymn writer. God used him to write what we know today as “The Doxology.”

The Story Behind “The Doxology”

After his parents died, Thomas Ken was raised by his half-sister and attended Winchester College. Once he was ordained as an Anglican minister, he returned to Winchester where he served as its chaplain.

Here at this school, to encourage the students’ devotions (Winchester was an all-male college), he wrote three hymns. One hymn he wrote was to be sung in private when the student awakened, the second hymn at bedtime, and the third hymn at midnight. These hymns had as many as thirteen stanzas.

By 1680, Ken had become an Anglican bishop and chaplain to promiscuous King Charles II. An unpleasant time for him. When the king asked him to house one of his mistresses, Ken refused and rebuked the king: “Not for the king’s kingdom,” he said. Naturally, Charles got very angry, but Ken was a bold man who wouldn’t compromise his faith.

Later, during the reign of King James II, he suffered imprisonment in the Tower of London for his Protestant faith. After his release, he eventually retired and died on March 11, 1711.

The Doxology

When Ken was buried, his friends and family sang the last line of each of his three hymns. These stanzas became “The Doxology.” Many Protestant churches sing these words today. Its words are a praise to the Lord, expressing love and devotion and thanksgiving.

One Interesting Story

During America’s bloody Civil War, Union soldiers were being marched back to a Confederate prison. A Baptist minister, concerned about the prison’s horrible conditions and what these prisoners faced, began singing “The Doxology” as a way of encouraging them. The soldiers joined in and by the time they were back inside it, they had confidence that the Lord would take care of them.