All to Jesus I surrender

All to Jesus I surrender. Judson W. Van De Venter* (1855-1939). Van De Venter was torn between his ambition to be a great artist, and the call to be an evangelist. While supporting himself by teaching art in Pennsylvania, he resisted the encouragement of those who thought he should be an evangelist. The hymn was written ‘in memory of the time, when, after a long struggle, I had surrendered and dedicated my life to active Christian service’ (Reynolds, 1964, p. 13). The word ‘in memory of a time’ suggest that the hymn was not written at the actual time of surrender, but afterwards. It was written when Van De Venter was conducting a meeting at East Palestine, Ohio. No date is given, but it...