This Week in Christian History: Amazing Grace, Birth Control, and Antidisestablishmentarianism

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, July 23, 2017

John Newton Born - July 24, 1725

John Newton (1725-1807), Anglican priest and former slave trader who wrote the hymn 'Amazing Grace.' — John Newton (1725-1807), Anglican priest and former slave trader who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace." | (Photo: Wikipedia Commons)

This week marks the anniversary of the birth of the man who wrote one of the most famous songs in the history of western civilization.

John Newton, author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," was born on July 24, 1725. The hymn was inspired by his own conversion to Christianity following his survival of a storm at sea.

"The soaring spiritual describing profound religious elation is estimated to be performed 10 million times annually and has appeared on over 11,000 albums," noted Biography.com in 2015.

"Between 1970 and 1972, Judy Collins' recording spent 67 weeks on the chart and peaked at number 5. Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Elvis are among the many artists to record the song."