Author of amazing grace biography sample
Biography of John Newton, Author of Amazing Grace
John Newton (1725–1807) began his career as a sailor and slave trader. Eventually, he became an Anglican minister and outspoken abolitionist after a dramatic and pivotal conversion to faith in Jesus Christ. Newton is best known for his widely loved and timeless hymn “Amazing Grace.”
Fast Facts: John Newton
- Known For: Anglican clergyman of the Church of England, hymn-writer, and former slave trader turned abolitionist who penned “Amazing Grace,” one of the most beloved and enduring hymns of the Christian church
- Born: July 24, 1725 in Wapping, London, UK
- Died: December 21, 1807 in London, UK
- Parents: John and Elizabeth Newton
- Spouse: Mary Catlett
- Children: Adopted orphan nieces, Elizabeth (Betsy) Catlett, and Elizabeth (Eliza) Cunningham.
- Published Works: An Authentic Narrative (1764);Review of Ecclesiastical History (1770); Olney Hymns (1779); Apologia (1784); Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade (1787); Letters to a Wife (1793).
- Notable Quote: “This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness, and intercession of Jesus.”
Early Life
John Newton was born in Wapping, London, the only child of John and Elizabeth Newton. As a young boy, Newton was nurtured in the Reformed faith by his mother, who read the Bible to him and prayed he would become a minister.
Newton was only seven when his mother died from tuberculosis, putting an end to his spiritual training. Although his father remarried, the boy remained detached in his relationship with both father and stepmother.
From age 11 to 17, Newton accompanied his father, a Navy ship’s captain, on his sea voyages. After retiring from the sea, the elder Newton took an office job with the Royal Africa Company. He began making arrangements for his son to go to Jamaica for a lucrative business opportunity as a slave plantation overseer.
Meanwhile, youn
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
This is the year (2023) that we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first singing of the hymn, Amazing Grace, by John Newton.
“The hymn has endured through two-and-a-half centuries and become today a powerful symbol for many people of hope in the midst of tragedy.”
This may be one of the most well-known songs in the country, but the story behind it— not so much. I grew up in the church and I had heard of John Newton, of course, but it was the post-repentant John Newton. The song’s message is even more powerful when you read of everything that came before it.
You’ll find Hindmarsh and Borlase’s book, Amazing Grace, to be enlightening, angering, and encouraging. It will challenge and convict but bring you to a place of hope and freedom.
Be warned: this is not an easy book to read. John Newton was an active participant in the slave trade from an early age. Not only was my knowledge of Newton expanded, but my knowledge of the slave trade was as well. It’s very hard to read about the dehumanization of the African people and the things that were done to them, the conditions and the abuse they endured.
“I was blind, but now, I see” is a poignant phrase. Utter blindness is the only explanation because there is no excuse for the near universal acceptance of the slave trade. And to God’s glory that even the deepest of sins can be forgiven. There is no wretch out of reach of God’s grace.
That is the story of John Newton.
“Where do we find hope today in the midst of deep divisions in society and violent disagreements? Where do we find hope for the human condition? Where do we find hope for all the griefs and sorrows that threaten to undo our own lives? Perhaps we need to look again at the perennial message of ‘Amazing Grace.’ Perhaps her
Amazing Grace
1779 Christian hymn by John Newton
For other uses, see Amazing Grace (disambiguation).
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779, written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the United States, where it is used for both religious and secular purposes.
Newton wrote the words from personal experience; he grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by others' reactions to what they took as his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into service with the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy. While this moment marked his spiritual conversion, he continued slave trading until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether. Newton began studying Christian theology and later became an abolitionist.
Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became the curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. "Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773. It is unknown if there was any music accompanying the verses; it may have been chanted by the congregation. It debuted in print in 1779 in Newton's and Cowper's Olney Hymns, but settled into relative obscurity in England. In the United States, "Amazing Grace" became a popular song used by Baptist and Methodist preachers as part of their evangelizing, especially in the American South, during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies. In 1835, American composer William Walker set it to With great passion often comes great struggle, and it is for this very reason that Newton’s story resonates with people hundreds of years after his passing. In his autobiography, Newton attributes most of his struggles to his own debauchery and poor choices. Plainly, he believed himself to have been a failure on almost every front. His conversion from a creature sinking into despair to a soul redeemed is recorded everywhere in his voluminous writings, but nowhere more plainly or beautifully than in the words of the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” While his father was away at sea, young John was cared for by his mother, Elizabeth. She kept him close at home, teaching him biblical principles and religious hymns. But by age eleven, Newton’s mother had died, and he was sent to his father aboard a ship. In the raucous environment among sailors, Newton wavered between his established moral principles and this new lifestyle. He soon set aside ideas from his childhood and embraced life at sea. John Newton Artifact Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David Printed by Manning and Loring The poems and songs of non-conformist minister and hymn writer Isaac Watts would later influence Newton’s own style of hymn writing. As a young man, Newton was forced into naval service aboard the HMS Harwich, where his poor behavior got him into trouble. To be rid of him, the captain sent Newton to a slave ship bound for Guinea, where his actions led to the eventual punishment of being chained on deck as a captive, with very little provisions. In 1748, Newton’s father came to his rescue and ordered him to return to England on the Greyhound, but midway through the journey a great storm arose. For days, the crew strugg The Early Years (1725–1735)
Boston, MA (US)
1806
PBK.001423The Sea Years (1736–1754)