The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts

Douglas Bond is the head of the English Department and a longtime teacher at Covenant High School, a classical Christian school in Tacoma, Wash. He has written numerous works of fiction, many of them for young people, including the Crown & Covenanttrilogy (focusing on a Covenanter family in Scotland) and the Faith and Freedom trilogy (following the same family to Revolutionary America). Among his nonfiction titles are Stand Fast in the Way of Truth and Hold Fast in a Broken World.

"Who among us has not had heart and mind stirred by a Watts hymn? Here we learn the story behind the hymns. We learn of a Christ-centered life, a doxological life. And from that wellspring has come the hymns we love to sing. Watts’s hymns are a gift for the church, and so is this biography by Douglas Bond."

"We all know and love ’Joy to the World,’ ’Jesus Shall Reign,’ ’Alas and Did My Savior Bleed,’ ’When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,’ ’O God, Our Help in Ages Past,’ and a host of his other compositions. And yet, most Christians know precious little about the author of these great hymn texts—the man history has dubbed as the ’Father of English Hymnody.’ At least, until now. Thanks to the prolific and eloquent pen of Douglas Bond, we now have an insightful glimpse into the life, the faith, and the poetic wonder of this remarkable servant of the church: Isaac Watts. This delightful book needs to be put at the top of your must-read list."