Professor James Walvin tells the story of Amazing Grace, the hymn that was written by a one-time slave trader and ballooned to become a global phenomenon
John Newton was a slave-ship captain in the 18th century. However, he was also a devout Christian who went on to become a famous preacher and davwrote the globally recognised hymn Amazing Grace. James Walvin talks to David Musgrove about how Newton and his contemporaries made sense of the contradiction of slavery and Christianity, and how Amazing Grace has taken on a life of its own after him.
James Walvin is the author of Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn (University of California Press, 2023)
Watch a video version of Amazing Grace: a story of salvation and slavery