John Newton and the Relentless Pursuit of Grace

In 1748, John Newton was a slave trader sailing the West African coast, a man so profane that even hardened sailors flinched at his blasphemy. His mother had dedicated him to God as an infant, but Newton had sprinted in the opposite direction — into debauchery, cruelty, and a life that mocked everything sacred. He was, by his own later admission, a wretch in the fullest sense.…