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Cowper was a far superior poet. Newton was much more of a man who believed in simplicity and clarity in his verse. He was writing in language the poor lace makers and artisans could understand. Of the 146 words of Amazing Grace, 125 of them are one syllable. He was a very, very good teacher as well as a good preacher.

What was John Newton's biggest struggle as a Christian?

I think his biggest struggle was the struggle with self or ego. In his private journal, it's noticeable that when it comes to the days he thinks are the most important, they are not Jesus' resurrection or crucifixion or birth or death or Christmas/Easter and so on, but the anniversaries of Newton's own conversion experience, Newton's birthday, the date of his marriage to his wife, and her birthday. There were times he had to wrestle with his self-centeredness. [But] the more I got to know Newton through his diaries and prayer journal, the more I admired him as an authentic Christian, probably because he did struggle with pride, and he did struggle with self-centeredness. On the whole, I think he won those struggles. He was a great servant of Jesus Christ, and he was a truly humble man. But he struggled with Mr. Self, as he called him, all his life.

What do you think Newton would say about slavery in our world today?

I think he'd be horrified to know that there is as much slavery today as there is, and I think he'd be deeply affected, for example, by the stories of the Dalits of India. I think Newton always regretted how long it took for his own moral conscience to be roused. Even long after becoming a vicar, he didn't speak out against slavery, but he got there in the end.

How would Newton address the problem today?

He was a most effective campaigner because he had eyewitness authenticity. His pamphlets—"Thoughts on the Slave Trade" and so on—were magnificent campaigning documents. I think he would be absolutely in the forefront of changing the climate of public opinion by his writing. But I think it's much harder now to change public opinion, given the way the public thinks and the multiplicity of sources.

Also, Britain in the 18th century was still strongly a Christian nation. He was planting his seeds on good ground, and the ground has become a lot more secular and harder and stonier now.

How would you sum up Newton's legacy?

I seek to alert readers to how colorful, how historically important, how politically effective, and how deeply spiritual a man Newton was. He understood perfectly about getting hold of Wilberforce and mentoring him spiritually.

The story goes that Wilberforce came to see Newton to say, "Mr. Newton, I think I want to go into the church." Newton said, "No, no, Mr. Wilberforce, stay where you are and serve God in Parliament."

If Newton had gone the other way, I think we would probably not have heard of Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade. Wilberforce would have been a very fine Church of England vicar, but he wouldn't have had worldwide impact as an abolitionist.

It's often said there would have been no abolition of the slave trade without William Wilberforce, but it's absolutely fair to say there would have been no spiritually motivated William Wilberforce as a determined campaigner if it hadn't been for the friendship and mentoring of John Newton.

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October 2007, Vol. 51, No. 10