John Newton was born in Wapping, London on July 24, 1725, to a pious Puritan mother and a strict sea captain father.
Newton’s mother died when he was just seven years old, signaling the start of a long, traumatic path that would ultimately lead him to become a major player in the abolitionist movement and a powerful Christian clergyman.
After his mother died, Newton was reared by his father, who took him to sea at the age of eleven. These early excursions paved the way for Newton’s career as a sailor.
By his late teens, he had enrolled in the British Navy. However, his insubordination and desertion resulted in severe punishment and ultimate dismissal. Newton then started working in the slave trade, a move that would come back to haunt him.
Newton’s life at sea was fraught with peril and moral quandaries. He was notorious for his vulgar language and rebellious conduct, which often resulted in clashes with shipmates and superiors. During one of his slave ship travels, he had a spiritual awakening.
This watershed moment happened during a terrifying storm off the coast of Ireland in 1748, when Newton started reading Thomas à Kempis’ “The Imitation of Christ” and reflecting carefully on his life and religion. He saw this incident as the beginning of his conversion to Christianity, although continuing to engage in the slave trade for many more years.
Newton did not completely accept his Christian religion until 1754 when he was forced to retire from sailing due to a terrible stroke. He moved to Liverpool, England, and started to study theology, teaching himself Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac. In 1764, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and sent to the curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire.
There, he met and worked with William Cowper, a poet who became a lifelong friend. They collaborated on a collection of hymns, including “Amazing Grace,” which was composed to accompany a sermon delivered on New Year’s Day, in 1773.
Newton’s impact expanded as he preached and wrote on grace and redemption, based on his own experiences with moral degradation and rebirth. Many people responded positively to his forceful lectures and anthems, and he rose to prominence in the evangelical movement.
Newton became an ardent abolitionist later in life, spurred by his connection with William Wilberforce, a young politician determined to abolish Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.
Newton’s 1788 booklet “Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade,” in which he documented the appalling circumstances aboard slave ships and expressed great sorrow for his previous participation, was widely distributed. It had a huge impact in raising public awareness and enthusiasm for the abolitionist movement.
John Newton died in London on December 21, 1807, only months after the British Parliament approved the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which ended the slave trade in the British Empire.
His personal story, from profane and rebellious sailor to revered preacher and hymn writer, is a strong tribute to the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the transformational power of grace that he so eloquently articulated in his songs.