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Anglican priest and former slave ship captain John Newton’s hymn, ‘Amazing Grace,’ has been sung more than 10 million times over 250 years.The pastor of a large rural congregation was preparing his New Year’s Day sermon, based on the Old Testament text, 1 Chronicles 17:16-17. As he often did, he wrote a hymn to go with his message. Little did he know that his words in that simple hymn would be sung throughout the world for the next 250 years, and become one of the most loved hymns of all times, “Amazing Grace.”Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 is the 250th anniversary...

John Newton was an Anglican clergyman and former slave ship master. It took him a long time to speak out against the Slave Trade but he had an influence on many young evangelical Christians, particularly William Wilberforce. At just 11 years old, Newton went to sea with his father. In 1743 he was on his way to a position as a slave master on a plantation in Jamaica, when he was pressed into naval service. He became a midshipman but after demotion for trying to desert, he requested an exchange to a slave ship bound for West Africa. Eventually he...

The authentic story of the redeeming power of the Christmas message is nowhere more vividly illustrated than in the incredible life of an English slaver named John Newton. He was born 300 years ago into a seafaring family in Liverpool. His mother was a godly woman whose faith gave her life meaning. She died when John was 7, and he recalled as the sweetest remembrance of childhood the soft and tender voice of his mother at prayer

Grace: How Strange the Sound Michael S. Horton As recounted in the recent film, the author of "Amazing Grace," John Newton, not only knew about grace, but every line of the famous hymn was part of his experience. Born in 1725 to a Protestant mother and a mariner father who had been educated by Spanish Jesuits, John Newton was taught by his mother to read and to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism by the age of four. With his mother's death and a distant and stern father, Newton became rudderless and eventually captained his own slave ship. After reading Thomas...

A few years ago, National Geographic reported that there are 27 million slaves in the world today – more than any other time in human history. What can be done to free them? Be a "Wilberforce" or "Newton"! Let me explain. A force called WilberforceIn the 18th century, English traders were capturing and selling tens of thousands of Africans as slaves every year – at least 12 million were brought to the Americas and West Indies. (Muslim traders exported as many as 17 million slaves.) The transatlantic slave trade was a very lucrative business, and very few in that day...

Hugh Hewitt was reviewing the movie Amazing Grace the story of William Wilberforce and his efforts to end slavery which opens on February 23, 2007. He gave it a big thumbs up review both as a movie and for its very positive message against slavery and for Christianity. From the website linked above: "Amazing Grace, based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, is directed by Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Coal Miner's Daughter) from an original screenplay written by Academy Award® nominee Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things). The film stars Ioan Gruffudd (Black Hawk Down), Albert...

The malls and the Main Streets fall silent. The ringing cash registers and the happy cries of children are but ghostly echoes across silent streets. But the Christ born in a manger 2,000 years ago lives, liberating the hearts of sinners and transforming the lives of the wicked. The authentic story of the redeeming power of the Christmas message is nowhere more vividly illustrated than in the incredible life of an English slaver named John Newton. John Newton was born 300 years ago into a seafaring family in Liverpool. His mother was a godly woman whose faith gave her life...

More Than a Calvinist 1762 To be enabled to form a clear, consistant, and comprehensive judgement of the truths revealed in the Scripture, is a great privilege; But they who possess it are exposed to The temptation of thinking too highly of themselves, and too meanly of others, especially of those who not only refuse to adopt their sentiments, but venture to oppose them. We see few controversial writings, however excellent in other respects, but are tinctured with this spirit of self-superiority; and they who are not called to this service (of writing). if they are attentive to what passes...