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Selwyn Hughes
Selwyn Hughes (April 27, 1928–January 9, 2006) was a Welsh Christian preacher, evangelist, and author, best known for his daily devotional Every Day with Jesus, which reached nearly a million readers worldwide. Born in Fochriw near Caerphilly, Wales, to a coal-mining family, Hughes worked as a miner during his teenage years, including a stint as a “Bevin Boy” in 1946–1947 during National Service. Converted at 16 in 1944, he felt a divine call to ministry, leading him to study theology in Bristol after leaving the mines. Ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, he served churches in Cornwall, Wales, Yorkshire, Essex, and London for 18 years, beginning his writing career in the 1960s with Bible-reading notes on postcards for his congregation. In 1965, Hughes founded the Crusade for World Revival (CWR), an international ministry focused on training Christian counselors and producing resources, including Every Day with Jesus, which he wrote for over 40 years. He authored over 50 books, blending pastoral insight with practical faith, such as The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success and his autobiography My Story (2004). Despite personal tragedies—the death of his wife Enid from cancer in 1986 and both sons in 2000 and 2001—his faith remained unshaken, earning him praise from George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a “giant in the faith.” Hughes died of cancer in 2006, leaving a legacy of spiritual encouragement and revivalist zeal. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brunel University in 2005.
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Selwyn Hughes preaches on the unique authority of Jesus Christ's teachings, emphasizing that His authority was not imposed from without but stemmed from the truth, deed, and love He revealed. Jesus did not come to enforce a moral code but to unveil the nature of reality, starting with the nature of God and guiding humanity to live in alignment with God's ways. His teachings were not idealistic but a reflection of reality itself, making them authoritative and imperative for all.
Exposed Realism
"... he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (v. 29) For reading & meditation: Matthew 7:13-29 If the men and women of this world took an unbiased look at Jesus as presented to us in the four Gospels, they would see, as Bishop Stephen Neill put it, that "Jesus Christ is not in the least like anyone else who has ever lived." The way He taught, for example, is not the same as that of any other religious teacher. When He concluded the Sermon on the Mount, which some believe to be idealism, the people "were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching, for He was teaching as [One] Who had [and was] authority . . ." (Amp. Bible)." What was this "authority"? An authority imposed from without? No, it was the authority of the facts. Jesus was divulging the meaning of life. He was uncovering reality. It was the authority of God; when He spoke, God spoke. It was the authority of truth, deed, and love. A good many people make the mistake of thinking that Jesus came to impose upon humanity a moral code. But Jesus was not a moralist in that sense at all. He was a revealer of the nature of reality. He revealed first the nature of God, and that the nature of God is the ground of God's conduct and ours. He then lifted up the laws written into the universe, written in the warp and woof of our being, and showed us that the only way to live is God's way. Instead of being an imposed idealism, it was exposed realism - Reality itself was speaking. No wonder it was authoritative. Here was the indicative become the imperative. Lord Jesus Christ, revealer of all that is hidden, thank You above everything that You have revealed God to me. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. All of Your ways become the way - for everybody, everywhere. Now I am on the way. Hallelujah!
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Selwyn Hughes (April 27, 1928–January 9, 2006) was a Welsh Christian preacher, evangelist, and author, best known for his daily devotional Every Day with Jesus, which reached nearly a million readers worldwide. Born in Fochriw near Caerphilly, Wales, to a coal-mining family, Hughes worked as a miner during his teenage years, including a stint as a “Bevin Boy” in 1946–1947 during National Service. Converted at 16 in 1944, he felt a divine call to ministry, leading him to study theology in Bristol after leaving the mines. Ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, he served churches in Cornwall, Wales, Yorkshire, Essex, and London for 18 years, beginning his writing career in the 1960s with Bible-reading notes on postcards for his congregation. In 1965, Hughes founded the Crusade for World Revival (CWR), an international ministry focused on training Christian counselors and producing resources, including Every Day with Jesus, which he wrote for over 40 years. He authored over 50 books, blending pastoral insight with practical faith, such as The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success and his autobiography My Story (2004). Despite personal tragedies—the death of his wife Enid from cancer in 1986 and both sons in 2000 and 2001—his faith remained unshaken, earning him praise from George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a “giant in the faith.” Hughes died of cancer in 2006, leaving a legacy of spiritual encouragement and revivalist zeal. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brunel University in 2005.