Faith and mission
Fanny Crosby
1820 to 1915 · United States
Fanny Crosby (1820 to 1915) was an American hymn writer, blind from infancy, who composed more than eight thousand hymns, among the most beloved in the English language. Blessed Assurance, To God Be the Glory, and Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior all came from her pen. She refused to be pitied for her blindness, saying that the first face she would ever see would be the face of her Savior.
Life and context
Frances Jane Crosby was born in Putnam County, New York, in 1820 and lost her sight as an infant. She was educated at the New York Institution for the Blind, where she later taught. She began writing hymns in her forties and continued for the rest of her long life, often composing at remarkable speed for publishers and sometimes writing under many pen names so that hymnals would not seem to lean on one author. She gave much of her energy to rescue-mission work among the poor of New York City, and lived to ninety-four.
What she wrote
Crosby wrote ‘Blessed Assurance,’ ‘To God Be the Glory,’ ‘Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,’ ‘All the Way My Savior Leads Me,’ ‘Rescue the Perishing,’ and thousands more that are still sung around the world. Far from lamenting her blindness, she counted it a gift, saying it kept her from distraction and fixed her heart on Christ.
What her witness points us to
Crosby’s hymns are almost all one long song of assurance and praise to Jesus. She points to a Savior worth adoring even in the dark, and to a joy that does not depend on sight but on knowing whose she is.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Fanny Crosby?
- Fanny Crosby (1820 to 1915) was an American hymn writer who was blind from infancy and wrote more than eight thousand hymns, including many of the most beloved in the English language.
- How many hymns did Fanny Crosby write?
- Fanny Crosby is credited with writing more than eight thousand hymns over her long life, often at great speed and sometimes under numerous pen names.
- What hymns did Fanny Crosby write?
- Her hymns include 'Blessed Assurance,' 'To God Be the Glory,' 'Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,' 'All the Way My Savior Leads Me,' and 'Rescue the Perishing.'
Where their witness leads
Fanny Crosby would not want to be the last word. Every one of these people said, in the end, the same thing: do not look finally at me, but at the Christ I followed and pointed to. They are worth reading, and they are honest about their own failures. The living Jesus they trusted is still near to anyone who comes to him with an open heart, and meeting him yourself costs nothing but a little quiet and an honest look. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to begin.
Meet JesusRead the Gospel of JohnThe story of the churchJesus Christ is Lord.