How could a man guilty of selling Africans into slavery compose one of our most beloved hymns? Irreverent, foul-mouthed John Newton began his life at sea as a deserting sailor, then became a slave and finally a slave trader. He shamelessly transported kidnapped Africans across the Atlantic in the bowels of his ship. But after a dramatic conversion, John began to comprehend the great evil of slavery. Upon returning to England, he became a respected pastor and wrote hymns and sermons that changed the world. Yet his conscience still ached. He hoped to forget his slaving days, but when his friend William Wilberforce begged him to join the fight to abolish the slave trade, John had to make a choice. Could he confront the terrible sins of his checkered past and speak out to end the injustice of slavery?
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