A Life Worth Emulating

Luder G. Whitlock, Jr.

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace, by Jonathan Aitken (Crossway, 2007), 400pp., $22.

Jonathan Aitken, a skilled biographer and author of the award-winning Nixon: A Life and, more recently, Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed, has produced a valuable biography of John Newton illumined by important, unpublished letters and diary entries. He embellishes a compelling narrative by inserting thoughtful assessments of Newton’s life and ministry at appropriate points.

A flurry of books, articles, and films about William Wilberforce have been published recently in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Appropriately so, for in addition to his pivotal role in Parliament leading to decisive action against the slave trade, Wilberforce was an extraordinary figure of great influence in England.

The attention to Wilberforce justifies the timing of this volume because, as Aitken argues, Newton’s role in Wilberforce’s life “as a mentor, confidant, co-campaigner, and close friend has often been underestimated” and now deserves reassessment. As is generally recognized, it was Newton who persuaded Wilberforce not to abandon his career in politics to pursue ministry in the church. It was also Newton who provided vivid descriptions of the slave trade from his experience as the captain of a slave ship.

In addition to the usual material about Newton, Aitken depicts Newton as a different kind of clergyman—one with a common touch—who was able to identify with and relate to his parishioners personally and thus far more effectively than the typical clergy of his time. Moreover, although it was extremely difficult for him to achieve acceptance from the Church of England, once he did so Newton proved to be a remarkably effective networker; the importance of this to his career and influence becomes clear.

The hymn “Amazing Grace,” undoubtedly his most famous legacy, was originally written as a teaching aid for his congregation. It received scant attention elsewhere until William Walker of South Carolina linked the words to a tune called, “New Britain” and included it in The Southern Harmony, which sold an astonishing 600,000 copies during the first ten years after it was published in 1835. Aitken traces the fascinating story of “Amazing Grace” into the twenty-first century.

Aitken observes that the great strengths at the heart of Newton’s ministry were “a happy marriage and a close relationship with God.” A spiritual sage with secular wisdom, Newton came to exemplify, as Aitken notes, several important lessons: 1) spiritual growth is a long, difficult process; 2) God’s timing is not always our timing; and 3) good teachers are critical to one’s spiritual journey. Aitken also helpfully shows how Newton's life offers practical insights on how to authenticate one’s vocational calling.

Newton: a man worth remembering, a life worth emulating. From disgrace to Amazing Grace. 

Dr. Luder G. Whitlock, Jr. is the outgoing Executive Director and new Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum.

Reviews, Character and Ethics, Leadership, Spiritual Growth, Fri 07 Mar 2008