History

The Life and Times of John Newton 1725-1807

1725 Newton is born in London to John & Elizabeth Newton.

1732 Elizabeth Newton dies.

1744 Newton is impressed on board H.M.S. Harwich.

1745 Newton attempts desertion and is whipped and degraded to rank of seaman.

1748 Near-shipwreck of Greyhound provokes spiritual crisis.

February 1750 Newton marries Mary Catlett, daughter of George & Elizabeth.

May 1754 Newton meets fellow believer, Captain Andrew Clunie.

November 1754 Epileptic seizure convinces Newton to leave the slave trade.

June 1755 Newton listens to George Whitefield preach in London.

August 1755 Newton begins his work as tide surveyor in Liverpool.

June 1764 Lord Dartmouth achieves ordination for Newton in the Church of England; Newton accepts curacy at Olney.

August 1764 Publication of Authentic Narrative makes public Newton’s life story.

1767 William Cowper arrives at Olney.

January 1773 Newton preaches on 1 Chronicles 17:16, 17, and writes Amazing Grace to accompany the sermon.

1774 Publication of “The Omicron Letters” offers some of Newton’s finest teachings on the spiritual life.

1779 Publication of Olney Hymns establishes Newton’s reputation as a hymn-writer.

December 1779 Church of England inducts Newton as rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London.

1780 Publication of Cardiphonia makes Newton’s extensive correspondence available to the public.

January 1783 Newton calls the first meeting of the Eclectic Society.

December 1785 William Wilberforce visits Newton’s home.

1788 William Pitt calls Newton before the Privy Council on the subject of the slave trade.

December 1807 Newton dies in London.

1726 Jonathan Swift publishes Gulliver’s Travels.

May 1735 George Whitefield comes to a “full assurance of faith.”

May 1738 John Wesley feels his heart “strangely warmed.”

1742 George Frederick Handel composes Messiah.

1756-1763 France and England vie for American possessions during the Seven Years’ War.

1770 Captain James Cook explores Botany Bay on the shoreline of Australia.

1776-1783 American colonies revolt and form independent nation.

1782 Charles Simeon appointed as curate-in-charge of Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge.

1783 King George III appoints William Pitt as prime minister of Britain.

1787 Freed slaves found the British colony of Sierra Leone in West Africa.

1788 English convicts found British colony in Sydney, Australia.

1789 French mob storms the Bastille and begins a revolution.

1797 Prominent evangelicals found the Church Missionary Society.

1807 Britain abolishes the slave trade in her colonies.

1834 Parliament passes the Abolition of Slavery Act.

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History & Biography magazine.Click here for reprint information on Christian History & Biography.

Also in this series

Our Latest

Expert: Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Orthodox Church Is Compatible with Religious Freedom

Despite GOP concerns over government interference, local evangelicals agree that the historic church must fully separate from its Moscow parent.

News

Ohio Haitians Feel Panic, Local Christians Try to Repair Divides

As Donald Trump’s unfounded claims circulate, Springfield pastors and immigrant leaders deal with the real-world consequences.

Review

A Pastor’s Wife Was Murdered. God Had Prepared Him for It.

In the aftermath of a senseless killing, Davey Blackburn encountered “signs and wonders” hinting at its place in a divine plan.

The Church Can Help End the Phone-Based Childhood

Christians fought for laws to protect children during the Industrial Revolution. We can do it again in the smartphone age.

Taste and See If the Show is Good

Christians like to talk up pop culture’s resonance with our faith. But what matters more is our own conformity to Christ.

The Bulletin

Don’t Blame Me

The Bulletin considers the end of Chinese international adoptions, recaps the week’s presidential debate, and talks about friendship across political divides with Taylor Swift as a case study.

Public Theology Project

The Uneasy Conscience of Christian Nationalism

Instead of worldly control of society, Christ calls for renewed hearts.

News

What It Takes to Plant Churches in Europe

Where some see ambition as key to evangelism, others experiment with subtler ways of connecting to people who don’t think they need God.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube