John Newton, the song’s writer, certainly thought so. Born in London in 1725, Newton led a fascinating life. He was forced into naval service at age 18 but attempted to desert.

My name is John Newton and I want to tell you my story. I am an old man of eighty, which is a good age to reach, but when I look back on my life…well, I’m not happy about some of the things I ...

Amazing Grace was penned by a former slave trader, but only many decades after he’d left slave trading and seafaring behind and had become a minister of God. What's False It is not true that he ...

BALABAN: James Walvin says "Amazing Grace" never really gained a foothold in Newton's England. But then it was published in America, where Christianity was booming.

St. Peter and St. Paul Church, in Olney, England, was home to curate John Newton from 1764 to 1780 and is where “Amazing Grace” was first sung on January 1, 1773.

In 1835, twenty eight years after Newton’s death, William Walker, an American composer and song leader, put “Amazing Grace” to a traditional tune called “New Britain” (the one we are ...