John Newton (Audio Drama CD Set)
After the early death of John Newton’s religiously devoted mother, John eventually was no longer a church-loving little boy. As a teenager he joined the crew of a slave ship to avoid service in the Royal Navy. A constant irritant to his fellow sailors, due to his cursing, blasphemies and rebellious ways, Newton’s faith returned when his ship miraculously survived a storm.
Back in Africa on another slave ship, a back-slidden Newton repented during a terrible sickness, recovered in two days and returned to England where he married his Christian sweetheart. Having answered a call to ministry, Newton became a prodigious hymn writer and prominent opponent of the slave trade. This is a four-part audio drama of Newton’s adventurous life.
- Note: I (Carrie) spent many hours reading books about John Newton and found that each book I read had issues difficult to overcome. Either there was too much language, or too many adult themes, or too many graphic descriptions, or too much old world style language!
However, Newton is a man with whom students should definitely be familiar. When I listened to this audio drama, I discovered that it included the important events from all of the books I’d read about Newton and did so in a way that made Newton’s journey to faith all the more memorable!
Even though this audio drama begins in a manner designed to interest a much younger audience, if you listen past the introduction of each episode, you will find yourself drawn into the story even as a teenage (or an adult listener). So, don’t be put off by the beginning, or you will miss joining John Newton on a journey of a lifetime!