Gospel Greats -- 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' Quiz

Answer: fellowship

The missing word is 'fellowship'.

'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' was written in 1887 by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman with Showwalter composing the music. Showalter was born May 1, 1858, in Cherry Grove, Virginia while Hoffman was born May 7, 1839, in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania.

Answer: divine

The missing word is 'divine'.

Anthony Showalter wrote the chorus for 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' and then asked Elisha Hoffman to write the remaining lyrics, according to Wikipedia. Showalter was a Gospel music composer, teacher and publisher while Hoffman was a Presbyterian minister who composed more than 2,000 hymns and edited more than 50 song books.

Answer: blessedness

The missing word is 'blessedness'.

According to Popularhymns.com, Anthony Showalter was prompted to write 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' when he read heartbreaking letters from two of his former students on the same day. In the first letter, the student told Showalter he had just recently lost his wife. "Opening the second one he found that it brought news identical to that of the first," Popularhymns.com reports. "Two former students had each been plunged into tragedy, through the same circumstances, and on the same day."

Answer: mine

The missing word is 'mine'.

As stated in the answer to Question 3, Anthony Showalter was shocked to learn on the same day two of his former students had lost their wives. "In an effort to console his two young friends, Showalter wrote: 'The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms'," Popularhymns.com reports. "In that single line of Scripture lay the theme of a great hymn." So he decided to write them a song of comfort.

Answer: secure

The missing word is 'secure'.

The words for the chorus for 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' came quickly for Anthony Showalter, Popularhymns.com reports. To finish off the song, he called upon noted hymn writer Elisha Hoffman to finish off the lyrics. "When Showalter received Hoffman's finished work he wrote the music for it and another great hymn was born," Popularhymns.com reports.

Answer: walk

The missing word is 'walk'.

Wikipedia reports Anthony Showalter wrote "several rudimentary books on music theory" as well as a book on harmony and song composition. The Website reports the books are "widely used in singing schools" in the southern United States. Showalter also wrote a number of hymns, but 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' was far and away the most successful.

Answer: way

The missing word is 'way'.

Similar to the two students of Anthony Showalter mentioned in the answer to Question 3, Elisha Hoffman had his wife die. According to Wikipedia, in 1866, at the age of 26, Hoffman married Susan M. Orwig who was 22 at the time. Ten years later, she died, leaving him a single parent of three sons. There's a happy ending as in 1879, at the age of 40, Hoffman remarried and the couple had a baby boy.

Answer: bright

The missing word is 'bright'.

According to Wikipedia, 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' has been recorded by the likes of Norbert Susemihl, Iris Dement, George Jones and Mahalia Jackson. On top of this, Alan Jackson included it in his 2006 live Gospel album 'Precious Memories'.

Answer: fear

The missing word is 'fear'.

Wikipedia reports 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' has been featured in a number of movies over the years. "The song has been used in several movies, including 'The Human Comedy' (1943), 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955), 'Phase IV' (1974), 'Wild Bill' (1995), 'Next of Kin' (1989), and 'True Grit' (2010) (of which it forms about a quarter of the score)," Wikipedia states. "In television, it was used in the 'Dollhouse' season one episode 'True Believer'."

Answer: near

The missing word is 'near'.

Wikipedia states the British supermarket chain Sainsbury won acclaim for a TV commercial in late 2014 featuring a Christmas truce between allied and German troops in the First World War. Featured as the soundtrack was none other than 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms'.

Here are the words to the old-time classic 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms':

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!

[Refrain]

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

[Refrain]"