Amazing Grace Viola Ver 2

Written by John Newton in 1779, Amazing Grace is a well known Christian hymn expressing the power of forgiveness and the mercy of God, as seen through the eyes of the poet in his own life. For most of his life, Newton had no religious affiliation, and had renounced religion, and was known for his disobedience and debauchery. After facing violent storms and illness at sea on a slave-trading ship, Newton began to ponder his mortality and started to believe that God was working through him. He questioned whether or not one could be redeemed after having lived such an impious life. After leaving the slave trading business in his 30's, Newton and his wife were active in the church and his poetry began to reflect the story of his eventual conversion to the Christian faith. Today the song Amazing Grace is the most well-known folk spiritual, especially since the '50s and '60s, with the beginnings of recorded music, combined with the political backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the opposition to the Vietnam War.