Bentley DeForest Ackley (1872–1958)

Bentley DeForest Ackley was an American gospel song writer and musician whose life stands as a testimony to the Lord’s power to redeem what sin has shattered. Gifted in music yet long enslaved by alcohol, he knew the misery of a divided heart—outward ability paired with inward bondage. His story is often remembered not for what he once was, but for what grace made of him.

September 3, 1906: Deliverance and New Life

On September 3, 1906, after years of alcoholism had broken him, Ackley turned to Christ in repentant faith. What human strength could not accomplish, the Savior did: He forgave, cleansed, and began reshaping a ruined life into a ministry of praise. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Ackley’s conversion was not merely a private moment; it became a turning point that redirected his gifts toward the worship of God and the witness of the gospel.

Hymns, Holiness, and Steadfast Service

Out of that deliverance came a lifetime marked by perseverance, humility, and joyful gratitude. Ackley would write nearly four thousand gospel hymns and songs, many aiming the believer’s heart toward Christlike holiness. Among them, “I Would Be Like Jesus” remains a prayer set to melody—an earnest plea for sanctified desires, clean speech, and a life that reflects the Lord in ordinary obedience. His work illustrates a quiet kind of Christian heroism: not the applause of the world, but the daily faithfulness of a redeemed man using his voice to call others upward.

With Billy Sunday in the Work of Evangelism

Ackley later served evangelist Billy Sunday as organist and secretary, supporting large evangelistic meetings where thousands gathered to hear the gospel proclaimed. In bustling campaigns and crowded tabernacles, his music helped steady the message, prepare hearts, and encourage public confession of faith. “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock… And He put a new song in my mouth” (Psalm 40:2–3).

A Striking Providence: 1906–1958

In the Lord’s providence, Ackley’s earthly life ended on the same date—September 3, 1958. The rescued man was gone, but the “new song” remained, still summoning hearts to repentance, praise, and the beauty of being made like Christ.