Amazing Grace
1779 Christian hymn by John Newton
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Key Takeaways
- " Amazing Grace " is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman, abolitionist, and poet John Newton.
- Newton wrote the words from personal experience; he grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by others' reactions to what they took as his recalcitrant insubordination.
- In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy.
- Newton began studying Christian theology and later became an abolitionist.
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman, abolitionist, and poet John Newton. It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the United States, where it is used for both religious and secular purposes.
Newton wrote the words from personal experience; he grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by others' reactions to what they took as his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into service with the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy. While this moment marked his spiritual conversion, he continued slave trading until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether. Newton began studying Christian theology and later became an abolitionist.
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