William E. Phipps - Amazing Grace in John Newton: Slave Ship Captain, Hymn Writer, and Abolitionist

In the late 1980's and early 90's, the song "Amazing Grace" seemed to experience a renaissance of sorts. It was the subject of a television special as well as the topic of several books. William Phipps became interested in both the song and the author of it during this time and began to research Newton's life. His book, Amazing Grace in John Newton, is the consummation of that research and reveals an interesting twist in the common telling of Newton's life.

John Newton was a former slave trader turned abolitionist. He is often described as having given up slave trading after nearly dying in a storm at sea and having a conversion experience. As Phipps documents, this isn't entirely accurate. Newton did indeed have a conversion experience during that storm, but it wasn't until after this time that Newton became a slave trader. In fact, while Newton hauled slaves in terrible conditions from Africa to the West Indies, he spent much of his time in the captain's quarters studying the Bible. He prided himself on being an honest, Christian slave trader. He never tricked anyone into being a slave (as some traders did) but bought them "honestly" from others. And Newton didn't give up slave trading because of a sudden religious conviction. Rather, he became ill just before his ship was to sail and he wasn't able to join his crew. So he ended up taking a position as a customs inspector instead (readily accepting bribes just as the other inspectors did).

This type of behavior is at the very crux of Phipps' thesis. When Newton wrote the line, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me," he wasn't simply describing himself as a wretch before his salvation, but as the wretch he was even after he had chosen to follow God. Phipps also believes that when Newton wrote the second line, "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see" he was referring both to his initial conversion experience as well as his continuing sanctification process (in which he became less of a wretch and bit more godly).

Even after Newton was "found" he was still "blind." It wasn't until he was a pastor for some time that he began to become unsettled by the plight of the African slaves and it was even later than that (and after he had written Amazing Grace) that he actually went from disdaining slavery to fighting against it. But once he did choose to throw his weight behind the abolitionist movement, he became quite a heavyweight for the cause. When those who were pro-slavery told tales of how well the slaves were fed during their voyage and what comfortable quarters they were given, Newton could speak from experience to testify that such stories were but lies.

One of Phipps' strengths in writing this book is that he feels free to set the story of Newton aside at times in order to bring the reader up to speed in other areas, most notably the ways of the slave market and the political and economic ramifications of the abolition of slavery. He also did a wonderful job of quoting Newton. It becomes very clear through Newton's own writing that he was entirely oblivious to the plight of the slaves as he traded them, but his concern for such things (and his own disdain at his former behavior) grew as time went on.

But, since this book is, after all, wrapped in some sense around Newton's hymn, "Amazing Grace," Phipps' also takes a somewhat laborious detour into Newton's world of hymn writing. I would have to say that this was the weakest part of the book. Phipps quoted hymn upon hymn written not just by Newton, but by his friend, William Cowper. (This might have been more interesting to me if I were studying hymns, or Christian music, or some such, but as I'm not, it wasn't.)

I did, however, take note of two interesting points about the hymn "Amazing Grace." Of all the hymns that Newton wrote (and there were quite a few), "Amazing Grace" has traditionally been one of his least recognized. In fact, this remained true until about the middle of the twentieth century when the tune was changed from what Newton had written to that of an African spiritual. Phipps also pointed out that Newton's final stanza had been completely rewritten. (He even suggested that the rewrite would not have been theologically acceptable to Newton.) Newton's final stanza?

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.