The Church's One Foundation

The Church's One Foundation is a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by Samuel John Stone.

The song was written as a direct response to the schism within the Church of South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictitious. This topic is alluded to within the fourth verse of the text "Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed." When Bishop Colenso was deposed for his teachings, he appealed to the higher ecclesiastical authorities in England.

It was then that Samuel Stone became involved in the debate. It inspired him to write a set of hymns based on the Apostles' Creed in 1866. He titled it, Lyra Fidelium; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles' Creed. "The Church's One Foundation" is based on the ninth article, The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints.

The song also served as inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's 1896 poem, Hymn Before Action.

It is typically set to the tune "Aurelia" by Samuel Sebastian Wesley.

In the 1941 film One Foot in Heaven, the song is featured in the final emotional scene.

Science Fiction author David Weber has used portions of The Church's One Foundation as book titles for his Safehold series.

In 2013, a line from the hymn was given prominence in the landmark publication from Crossway: "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective" (eds. David Gibson & Jonathan Gibson), a multi-authored volume which defends the Christian doctrine of definite atonement.

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