Podcast Episode 55
Conversion of John Newton
with Dr. Bruce Hindmarsh & host Nick Walters
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A slave trader transformed into a pastor and hymn writer—this week’s Deep Dive explores the remarkable conversion of John Newton.
In this episode of This Week in Christian History, Nick Walters, founder of the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College, welcomes a leading scholar to explore one of the most powerful conversion stories in the history of Christianity. The program also includes historical highlights drawn from the same week in Christian history.
This week’s subject matter expert is Bruce Hindmarsh of Regent College in Vancouver, a widely respected historian of evangelicalism and eighteenth-century Christianity. Hindmarsh has written extensively on the development of evangelical spirituality and conversion narratives in the modern era, making him uniquely suited to examine the life and legacy of John Newton.
Born in London in 1725, Newton’s early life was marked by instability, rebellion, and years at sea. As a young man he became deeply involved in the transatlantic slave trade, eventually serving aboard slave ships engaged in the brutal commerce that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Newton’s life appeared to be moving steadily toward ruin until a dramatic storm in the North Atlantic in 1748 forced him to confront his own mortality.
During that terrifying voyage, Newton cried out to God for mercy. He later described the moment as the beginning of a spiritual awakening that changed the course of his life. Although his moral transformation unfolded gradually, the experience set him on a path that ultimately led him away from the slave trade and into Christian ministry.
In the years that followed, Newton became an Anglican clergyman and a respected spiritual mentor. He also became known for his hymns, many written in collaboration with William Cowper. Among them was the enduring Christian hymn “Amazing Grace,” a song that has become one of the most recognizable expressions of Christian testimony in the English-speaking world. The hymn reflects Newton’s deep awareness of divine mercy and his conviction that no life is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Newton’s story also intersects with the broader evangelical revival that swept across Britain and the Atlantic world in the eighteenth century. Figures such as John Wesley and George Whitefield were preaching the necessity of personal conversion and new birth, and Newton’s own testimony became a powerful illustration of that message. Later in life he would also influence the movement to abolish the slave trade, most notably through his friendship with British reformer William Wilberforce.
Alongside the Deep Dive interview, this episode also highlights several notable moments connected to this week in Christian history.
One highlight focuses on the historic “Day of Pardon” led by Pope John Paul II on March 12, 2000. During the Jubilee Year, the pope publicly asked God’s forgiveness for historical wrongs committed by members of the Church across the centuries. The moment was widely recognized as a significant act of institutional reflection and repentance as Christianity entered the third millennium.
The episode also marks the anniversary of the passage of the Butler Act in Tennessee. The law prohibited the teaching of human evolution in public schools and soon led to the famous Scopes Trial, one of the most widely discussed legal battles in American religious and cultural history.
Each week, This Week in Christian History explores the people, events, and turning points that have shaped the global Christian movement. Every episode features a conversation with Nick Walters, a Deep Dive interview with a subject matter expert, and historical highlights from the same week that help illuminate the long and complex story of Christianity.
Discover more resources, interviews, and historical content from the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College.
