Old Time Religion

Shortly after the Civil War in America, a Methodist minister and his wife were blessed with the birth of a son.

When the boy became a teenager, he left home to make his way in the world. His fondest dream was to become a concert singer, but he never fulfilled his ambition. He took a job peddling songbooks, and later made his living by going around the countryside in a wagon demonstrating pianos for a local firm.

At the age of 25 he began to realize that his worldly goals would not be achieved and that even their complete attainment could never satisfy his deepest longings. Convicted by the Holy Spirit of having drifted far from his early training, Charlie Tillman received Christ as his Savior and spent the rest of his life singing and working for the Lord.

One day while passing through South Carolina, he heard a group of Colored worshippers chanting a lilting tune. He quickly jotted down the simple words and melody, for they spoke to him of his own conversion experience. Few today remember Charlie Tillman, but almost everyone has heard of “The Old Time Religion.”