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Changing Racist Hearts:

‘Amazing Grace’ hymnwriter’s racist past

By Rusty Wright
You’ve likely heard the famous hymn, ographer Jonathan Aitken observes that separated families, sexual exploitation,
Amazing Grace. Were you aware of its in 1751, Newton’s spiritual conscience flogging, beating, butchering. The slav-
writer’s racist past? I thought I knew his “was at least twenty years away from er once blind to his own moral hypocrisy
real story, but I didn’t. It holds valuable waking up to the realisation that the now could see. Biographer Aitken says
lessons for today’s racial turmoil. Christian gospel and human slavery “Newton’s testimony was of vital impor-
were irreconcilable.” tance in converting public opinion to the
People the world over love Amazing abolitionist cause.”
Grace. It’s been sung at countless me- A mysterious illness ended his seafaring
morial services, civil rights events and career. He became a pastor and sig- Heading home
churches. Recently, people in 50 COV- nificantly impacted a young Member of
ID-affected nations sang it together in Parliament who would help rescue an In early 1807, Britain outlawed the slave
an inspiring video. exploited people and a nation’s moral trade. Following Newton’s death on
conscience.
John Newton was an eighteenth-cen-
tury British slave trader who had a dra- Abolishing the slave trade Rusty Wright associate speaker and writer
with Probe Ministries, is an international
matic faith experience during a storm at lecturer, award-winning author, and journal-
sea. He left the slave trade, became William Wilberforce, a rising political ist who has spoken on six continents. He
a pastor, and wrote hymns. “Amazing star, considered leaving Parliament holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and
Grace! (how sweet the sound),” Newton for the ministry. In 1785, he sought Master of Theology degrees from Duke and
wrote, “That saved a wretch like me! I Newton’s counsel. Newton advised Oxford universities, respectively. He can be
reached at RustyWright@aol.com
once was lost, but now am found, was Wilberforce to remain in Parliament
blind but now I see.” He helped abolish and became his mentor. An ardu-
the slave trade. ous, twenty-year effort to abolish December 21 of that year, his grave-
the slave trade ensued. stone bore his self-written epitaph:
Surprising twists “John Newton. Once an infidel and lib-
In 1788, Newton’s widely circulat- ertine, a servant of slaves in Africa was
But, some surprising twists: Newton ed pamphlet, Thoughts Upon the by the rich mercy of our Lord and Sav-
only became a slave-ship captain after African Slave Trade, declared: “I iour Jesus Christ preserved, restored,
coming to faith in Jesus. And he left hope it will always be a subject of pardoned and appointed to preach the
slave trading not for spiritual reasons, humiliating reflection to me that I faith he had long laboured to destroy. .
but for health. Consider “the rest of the was once an active instrument in . .”
story….” a business at which my heart now
shudders.” Abolitionists sent copies Lessons for today’s struggles? Racist
A self-described “freethinking” ration- to all MPs. laws and practices can be changed.
alist, Newton negotiated with African Faith, properly applied, can help sig-
chiefs to obtain slaves and had sexual Newton testified before important William Wilberforce: Member of Parliament; British nificantly. Moral maturation can take
relations with female slaves. He called parliamentary committees, describ- abolitionist. time. People have blind spots. Humility
himself a terrible “blasphemer” who re- ing chains, overcrowded quarters, Image: Anton Hickel / Public domain. helps. We are all works in progress.
jected God completely. But
then, as Forrest Gump might
say, God showed up.
A violent storm flooded his
ship with water. Fearing for
his life, he soon “…began to
think of…Jesus whom I had
so often derided…of His life
and of His death…for sins
not His own, but for those
who in their distress should
put their trust in Him.”

In coming days, he became
convinced Jesus’ message
was true. “I was no longer
an atheist,” he wrote. “I was
sincerely touched with a
sense of undeserved mer-
cy in being brought safe
through so many dangers.
… I was a new man.”

Blind spots
Yet Newton saw no conflict
between slaving and his
new beliefs. As a slave-ship
captain, he held onboard
Sunday worship services for
his crew.

Christian worship on a slave
ship? Newton was still a
work in progress. Slavery
was generally accepted as
a pillar of British economy;
few yet spoke against it. Bi- John Newton: Slave trader, pastor, abolitionist. John Newton’s grave stone, Olney, England.
Contemporary portrait / Public domain. Photo: TheLeopards / CC0