John Newton (1725-1807) was a slave ship captain who was changed by God and went on to become an Anglican pastor, hymn-writer, and opponent of slavery. As a young man, he was pressed into service on board a ship working in the slave trade, and he lived a debauched life as a sailor. Then during a voyage his ship encountered a terrible storm. Newton called out to God in desperation, and that experience marked the beginning of his journey toward Christ. However, it took many more years and even further service on slave ships before his true conversion took place. He went on to become an opponent of the slave trade and influenced his friend William Wilberforce to fight for its abolition. He also pastored two churches and penned over 300 hymns, including the beloved Amazing Grace. The short video below tells his story.
Note: If you're reading this in a feed reader, the embedded video above may not show up. You should click through and watch the video; it's really pretty cool.
Fri May 24, 2013
Wed May 22, 2013
John Newton (1725-1807) was a slave ship captain who was changed by God and went on to become an Anglican pastor, hymn-writer, and opponent of slavery. As a young man, he was pressed into service on board a ship working in the slave trade, and he lived a debauched life as a sailor. Then during a voyage his ship encountered a terrible storm. Newton called out to God in desperation, and that experience marked the beginning of his journey toward Christ. However, it took many more years and even further service on slave ships before his true conversion took place. He went on to become an opponent of the slave trade and influenced his friend William Wilberforce to fight for its abolition. He also pastored two churches and penned over 300 hymns, including the beloved Amazing Grace. The short video below tells his story.
Note: If you're reading this in a feed reader, the embedded video above may not show up. You should click through and watch the video; it's really pretty cool.