Audiofile
Jonathan Aitken gives an authentic picture of the life and times of John Newton, best known as the creator of the timeless hymn ÒAmazing Grace.Ó Newton was also a preacher, theologian, and serious influencer of abolitionist William Wilberforce, who instigated the successful campaign to ban the British slave trade. AitkenÕs dynamic range and effortless narration capture NewtonÕs dramatic disregard for authority, including his escape attempt from the Navy, which demoted him to the lowest rank of seaman. His seamless narrative portrays NewtonÕs rise to captain of his own slave ship, on which he sailed the Ivory Coast, where he was taken captive himself and experienced terrible brutality at hands of another slave-trader, an experience that transformed him. Aitken delivers a credible biography, which includes a foreword by Philip Yancey. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Présentation de l'éditeur
Most Christians know John Newton as a man who once captained a slave ship, was dramatically converted to Christ on the high seas, and later penned one of the greatest hymns of the faith, "Amazing Grace." But he also had a huge impact on his times as an icon of the evangelical movement, as a great preacher and theologian, and as a seminal influence on abolitionist William Wilberforce. Newton's friendship with Wilberforce is portrayed in the major motion picture Amazing Grace. Jonathan Aitken's new biography John Newton explores all these facets of Newton's life and character. It is the first biography to draw on Newton's unpublished diaries and correspondence, providing fresh insight into the life of this complex and memorable Christian. The result is a fascinating, colorful, and historically significant portrait of John Newton, a self-described "great sinner" redeemed by a great Savior through amazing grace.
