author
Frederick Charles Jennings
1847–1948
Born in colonial India and later active in New York, this long-lived Christian writer brought a practical, reflective voice to Bible reading and devotional study. His best-known work, Old Groans and New Songs, turns Ecclesiastes into a thoughtful conversation about weariness, faith, and hope.
1 Audiobook
Old Groans and New Songs Being Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes
by Frederick Charles Jennings
About the author
Born on December 3, 1847, in Calcutta to British parents, Frederick Charles Jennings was educated in England and trained in the tea trade. He moved to the United States in 1871 and went on to establish a tea business in New York City, while also becoming known in Brethren circles as a Bible teacher and religious writer.
Jennings wrote devotional and expository works centered on Scripture, with Old Groans and New Songs among the titles most associated with him. His writing is remembered for blending close biblical reflection with a plain, readable style aimed at helping ordinary readers think seriously about faith.
He lived an unusually long life, dying in Plainfield, New Jersey, on April 17, 1948. Today he is chiefly remembered through his religious books and hymn-related legacy, which continue to circulate in digital archives and reprint collections.