A Quick Sketch of the 'Amazing' John Newton Quiz

Answer: England

England is the correct answer. John Newton was born in 1725 in Wapping and died in London in 1807. Newton's mother Elizabeth died when he was seven years old and his father, John Newton Sr., took him to sea at the age of eleven. Previous to going to sea with his father, Newton had spent two years at a private boarding school.

Answer: slave trader

John Newton was a slave trader. He also described himself as a libertine and a staunch atheist. Prior to becoming the captain of a slave trading ship, Newton served as a sailor in the Royal Navy. His time in the Royal Navy was short lived, however. Christianitytoday.com reports Newton rebelled against the discipline of the Royal Navy and deserted. "He was caught, put in irons, and flogged," the Website states. "He eventually convinced his superiors to discharge him to a slaver ship."

Answer: Ireland

John Newton was off the coast of Ireland when the ship he was on was being hammered mercilessly by a monstrous storm. "In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion," Wikipedia states.

Newton regarded the date he first prayed to God -- March 21, 1748 -- as a crucial turning point in his life and observed the anniversary in years to come.

Christianity.com has this to say: "...March 21, 1748, was a day Newton remembered ever after, for 'On that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.' Many years later, as an old man, Newton wrote in his diary of March 21, 1805: 'Not well able to write; but I endeavor to observe the return of this day with humiliation, prayer, and praise'."

The Website goes on to state Newton never ceased to stand in awe of God's work in his life.

Answer: 1779

John Newton wrote 'Amazing Grace' in 1779. It was twenty-one years after his conversion while he was serving as an evangelical Anglican minister the words to the world-famous hymn were written.

"With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, 'Amazing Grace' is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world," Wikipedia states.

Other significant news events in 1779, according to Wikipedia, were:
February 14 -- Captain James Cook dies on the Sandwich Islands on his third and last voyage.
June 1 -- Benedict Arnold is court-martialed in the United States for malfeasance in his treatment of government property.
August 1 -- Francis Scott Key, American lawyer and lyricist, was born.

Answer: Thousands

Thousands of different musicians have released recordings of 'Amazing Grace' over the years. While it's apparently impossible to come up with an exact number, Wikipedia states AllMusic lists more than 7,000 recordings -- including re-releases and compilations -- as of September 2011.

Wikipedia goes on to report the U.S. Library of Congress has a collection of 3,000 versions of and songs inspired by 'Amazing Grace'.

The first known recording of 'Amazing Grace' is an a cappella version from 1922 by the Sacred Harp Choir. The hymn has since been performed by a seemingly endless list of musicians, ranging from Johnny Cash to Rod Stewart and from Andy Williams to Sam Cooke. Then there is a long list of musical groups known only in their local areas who have recorded 'Amazing Grace'. It's safe to say, I believe, John Newton would be amazed with the popularity of his creation.

Answer: At least 290

John Newton is credited with writing at least 290 hymns during his lifetime. The Website Hymntime.com contains a list of 291 different hymns written by Newton, but some people believe the total could be higher as Newton had a ritual of writing a new hymn every week for a weekly Thursday evening prayer service he led.

"In 1769, Newton began a Thursday evening prayer service," Christianitytoday.com reports. "For almost every week's service, he wrote a hymn to be sung to a familiar tune."

Later, Newton took 280 of his hymns written for the prayer service and combined them with 68 hymns written by poet William Cowper and produced what was to become the popular Olney Hymns. It was in the Olney Hymns the words to 'Amazing Grace' first appeared.

While 'Amazing Grace' is far and away the best known hymn Newton wrote, other songs remain popular today including 'Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken' and 'How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds'.

Answer: Wiliam Wilberforce

William Wilberforce is the correct answer. Wilberforce was a leading opponent in Great Britain against the slave trade. He was born August 24, 1759 in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire and died July 29, 1833.

Newton became a key ally of Wilberforce and in 1807, the year of his death, Britain passed the Slave Trade Act, banning the African slave trade.

Wikipedia has this to say about Newton's stand: "In 1788, 34 years after he had retired from the slave trade, Newton broke a long silence on the subject with the publication of a forceful pamphlet 'Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade', in which he described the horrific conditions of the slave ships during the Middle Passage. He apologized for 'a confession, which ... comes too late ... It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders.' He had copies sent to every MP, and the pamphlet sold so well that it swiftly required reprinting."

In 2006, a film was released titled 'Amazing Grace' which tells of Newton's influence on Wilberforce. "Starring Albert Finney as Newton and directed by Michael Apted, this film portrays Newton as a penitent haunted by the ghosts of 20,000 slaves," Wiklipedia states.

Answer: Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron

The correct answer is Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron. Smith wrote the music and lyrics while Giron wrote the book, according to Wikipedia.

The work marked Smith's first foray as a writer or composer. The musical is based on the colorful life of John Newton, a slave trader who became an evangelical Christian and wrote 'Amazing Grace'.

"After a pre-Broadway run in Chicago in 2014, the show opened on Broadway in July 2015," Wikipedia states. "It was announced on September 16, 2015, the show will close on October 25."

The Chicago and the Broadway productions starred Josh Young as Newton.

Answer: True

True. Newton is a city in western Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. The city is about 38 kilometres (about 24 miles) east of Freetown, the capital and largest city in Sierra Leone. The population of Newton is estimated at 24,300, according to Wikipedia.

"The town of Newton is named after British abolitionist John Newton," Wikipedia confirms. "Today there is a philanthropic link between John Newton's church of Olney and Newton in Sierra Leone."

Answer: 1982

1982 is the correct answer. According to Wikipedia, Newton was inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame in recognition for his "influential hymns". Some of the inductees include Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby, George Beverly Shea, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley. The Gospel Music Hall of Fame is is based in Nashville, Tennessee.