Amazing Newton

I'm looking forward to reading John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace, a new biography of John Newton (which I reserved at the library some time ago). So I was interested to read an interview with Jonathan Aitken, who wrote the biography, on the Christianity Today website. When asked to sum up Newton's legacy, Jonathan Aitken said:

"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."

...

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."

Amazing Grace: the song

The hymn Amazing Grace first appeared in The Olney Hymns, published in 1779. The collection draws its name from the Buckinghamshire village of Olney, in England where John Newton was curate. The film’s UK website provides links to information about the hymn, including the story behind the hymn and the Biblical references contained in it.


The John Newton Project website provides a range of resources for the bicentenary of the death of John Newton (also 2007), and the Library of Congress offers an Amazing Grace timeline. .

Amazing Grace: local Wilberforce connections

In the 18th and 19th century, Rothley Temple (a manor house on the edge of Rothley village) was home to the Babington family. Thomas Babington, the MP for Leicester from 1800-1818, lived there until his death in 1837. He met leading abolitionist William Wilberforce at Cambridge University and they spent much time at Rothley Temple working together on the Bill to Abolish the Slave Trade.

The BBC Leicester website has a series of links on Abolition. This includes a brief article on Thomas Babington and the Wilberforce connection and a series of discussions on The Temple and the Trade. Greater detail is provided in the book Rothley and the Abolition of the Slave Trade by Terry Sheppard and Ian Whyte, which describes the mutual endeavours of Babington, Gisborne, Wilberforce and Macaulay.

Amazing Grace: Wilberforce in museums and on the web

After looking at Wilberforce on film and in books, we now turn to museums:

• The Long Road to Freedom is a travelling exhibition from Leicestershire museums to mark the bicentenary of the Act to Abolish the Slave Trade. This will be based at Donington le Heath Manor House from 12 July - 23 September 2007. The exhibition reveals local connections with the slave trade, and with those who battled to abolish slavery itself.
• Wilberforce Central is a private, non-profit alliance established to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British and the U.S. slave trade (1807-2007) with a celebration of the William Wilberforce and the Clapham Group and an examination of their legacy as it affects today’s issues.
• Wilberforce House Museum in Hull was the birthplace and residence of Wilberforce, who was a Member of Parliament for Hull in the 19th century. The city is hosting a large number of events during 2007 to commemorate and celebrate the life and legacy of Hull’s most famous son.
• The British Library offers a list of sources on for the slave trade and abolition held in its collections.

• Wilberforce, Lincoln, and the Abolition of Slavery is an online exhibition from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. It presents a variety of original documents and images highlighting the story of the abolition of slavery between 1787 and 1865 in England and America.

Amazing Grace: Wilberforce in words

If watching Amazing Grace inspires you to read more about William Wilberforce, the film’s UK website has an extensive reading list (you should be able to order some of these from your local library).

If you can't wait, there’s an e-book by John Piper called Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce which is free to download, and the rejesus website provides an online resource to read. The latter includes a selection of quotations by and about Wilberforce.

Amazing Grace: Wilberforce on film

The DVD of the film Amazing Grace comes out today. There is a commentary on the film from Damaris’ CultureWatch which concludes that ‘the relevance of this film for our own age can hardly be overstated’. The film is also reviewed by the Internet Movie Database and Damaris (the latter includes questions for discussion).

The film’s US website has a lot of additional material about the film. There’s also a UK Faith Resource for church groups to learn about the impact of William Wilberforce's faith, courage and compassion, using clips from the fim as discussion starters.