The First Hymn

John Dickson evolved from a 90s rock band singer-songwriter into a celebrated historian, speaker, and author of over 20 books, including Bullies and Saints: An Honest look at the Good and Evil of Christian History. John hosts Australia’s top religion podcast, Undeceptions, and holds the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Chair of Biblical Evangelism at Wheaton College. His work spans television documentaries, live talks, and academic roles at prestigious institutions like Macquarie University and Oxford, making complex ideas accessible to diverse audiences.

Chris is one of the most significant creators and performers in Christian music today. Chris has sold over twelve million records, and he has over seven billion streams to his name. He’s a Grammy winner with over 30 top 10 hits. It’s estimated that 30 million people sing Chris’s music in churches each week. TIME Magazine described him as “potentially the most often sung artist in the world.”

Ben Fielding is a GRAMMY award winning, multi-platinum, Australian songwriter and artist. A prolific songwriter, Ben has written many of the most sung and loved modern hymns across the Church globally. He is the only songwriter to have four songs reach #1 on CCLI as the most sung songs in the global Church: “Goodness Of God,” “What A Beautiful Name,” “Who You Say I Am,” and “Mighty To Save.” Ben also wrote the certified Gold “This I Believe (The Creed)” which, like “The First Hymn,” is the translation of an ancient text into a modern worship song.