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John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace: From Disgrace to

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace: From Disgrace to "Amazing Grace"

by JonathanAitken (Author)

  • Used

    Illustrated 2007

    $7.48
Synopsis

In the popular imagination John Newton (1725-1807) is best known as the author of the celebrated hymn Amazing Grace . But he also had one of the most colourful and influential lives in the religion and politics of the 18th century. In his youth he was a slave trader and a slave ship captain. His early adventures included being flogged as a deserter from the Royal Navy and imprisoned as a white slave to an African slave master. During a storm at sea he was converted and became an ordained clergyman. The two closest friendships of his life were with William Cowper the poet and William Wilberforce the abolitionist MP. With Cowper, he wrote many hymns including Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken , How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds and Amazing Grace . Newton became and remains a hero of the Evangelical revival. He was a formative influence on Charles Simeon and on William Wilberforce with whom he campaigned vigorously for the abolition of slavery. His influence was very wide indeed. Jonathan Aitken has had access to a great wealth of new unpublished material, notably Newton's diaries and the correspondence between Wilberforce and Newton. Aitken has already demonstrated his skill as a biographer with his books on Nixon and Colson but here, at last, he has found a subject in which his interests in history, politics and religion coincide.

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
 Pages: 286
 Edition: REV ed.
 Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Published: 20 May 2007
ISBN 10: 0826493831
ISBN 13: 9780826493835

Media Reviews
Mentioned in The Plain Truth (after an interview with J Aitken)
Well before the end, I was conscious that I was reading another classic ... Aitken writes with real passion for his subject ... This is a book to inform your mind, warm your heart and inspire your Christian walk. I cannot recommend it more highly. - Evangelical Times
Here is a useful account of a great figure of the Evangelical Revival - Times Literary Supplement
meticulously researched...[Aiken] writes beautifully and accessibly. Reviewed in Christianity, 2008
Using diaries and correspondence, this biography crosses the boundaries of history and religion. --Sanford Lakoff
This fascinating and gripping book makes the life of John Newton come alive for the contemporary reader. There's no hedging on Newton's depravity, nor his utterly passionate devotion to his precious Savior. I highly recommend this excellent work it's one that will transform not only minds but hearts! --Sanford Lakoff
Skilled and colorful biographer that he is, my friend Jonathan Aitken has brought to life one of eighteeneth-century England's most influential Christians.--Sanford Lakoff
Master biographer Jonathan Aitken is in fine form, sympathetic, insightful, scholarly and vivid, and his book, like its subject, must be rated unobtrusively spectacular --Sanford Lakoff
A rip-roaring adventure, a passionate romance, and astonishing journey of faith all in one --Sanford Lakoff
A fresh, insightful, and inspiring account of this great yet neglected figure. With that rare skill of a superb biographer, Aitken brings Newton to life for a new generation of admirers --Sanford Lakoff
The book captures superbly how one life can be transformed by God for the benefit of others --Sanford Lakoff
Jonathan Aitken has written a book that, enriched by fresh research into unpublished papers, will enhance his reputation as one of today's foremost biographers.Secular and religious readers will alike profit enormously from this book --Sanford Lakoff
Jonathan Aitken as always writes with elegance, clarity, and sympathy in describing an extraordinary eighteeneth-century life --Sanford Lakoff
Jonathan Aitken brings to life one of the unsung heroes of the Evangelical Revival --Sanford Lakoff
Aitken is well-qualified to serve an account of Newton for the modern reader. He is a renowned writer and biographer, a former businessman and politician, and, like Newton, a man whose heart has been changed through amazing grace. --Sanford Lakoff
a thorough study, superbly written, and an excellent read --Sanford Lakoff
Reviewed by Alec Ryrie, Church Times, July, 2007--Sanford Lakoff Church Times
'This is an 'amazing' book which tells the story of an 'amazing' Christian life...This is a book to inspire and challenge us as to the true nature of Amazing Grace' Christianity, October 2007--Sanford Lakoff
A brilliantly written biography ... Like all good biographers, Jonathan Aitken leaves us with the imprint of the subject firmly in our minds rather than the image of the author, but the engaging style of his narrative displays a personal commitment not only to the subject but also to his reason for living. Paul Woolley, The Difference--Sanford Lakoff
Mr Aitken's biography... provides a rare spiritual treat and leads us to praise God for His mercy in the reality and wonder of salvation Gordon Murray, Protestant Truth, September - October 2007--Sanford Lakoff
Author Bio
Jonathan Aitken, a former MP and cabinet minister, is the author of nine books including his award winning biography of President Richard Nixon. His recent titles published by Continuum include Pride and Perjury, Psalms for People under Pressure, Porridge and Passion, Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed and Heroes and Contemporaries.