I read with great interest the views by Geri Jensen that the song Amazing Grace seemed to fill her with disgust because of the words “wretch,” “blind,” and “fearful.” Since this is one of my favorite hymns, I have to take issue. I believe she didn’t understand the author’s point, which was his own testimonial.
The tune was also written by John Newton in 1779, nearly 31 years after his experiences that inspired the song. He became one of the most powerful evangelical preachers in England and the author of hundreds of hymns. (*Then Sings My Soul, by Robert J. Morgan)
His life was not easy as his mother died when he was seven. She left him a legacy of praying, singing, and reciting bible passages because she wanted her son to be a good person. He later went to boarding school and dropped out to join the navy, where he soon deserted, was captured, and flogged. From then on, his “dangers, toils, and snares” increased with each voyage.
On March 9, an unexpected evening storm threatened the ship. The fear was so great John called out to the Lord, and the Lord reached out to him to save him from the deep waters. Thereafter, he remembers that date as the “hour he first believed.” This is the story behind one of the most inspiring and beautiful Christian hymns teaching the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Newton’s original title was not “Amazing Grace” but “Faith’s Review and Expectation.” It also included one more verse not often included:
The Earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; But God, Who called me here below, shall be forever mine.
Signed, Just another
wretch, Cathi Williams,
Grand Marais
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