The second book I want to recommend for reading this year is Newton on the Christian Life: To Life is Christ. Isaac Newton may have discovered the Law of Gravity, but John Newton helps us discover God’s Amazing Grace. This book on the life of John Newton is excellent! It is part of the series called Theologians on the Christian Life. I’ve read five of the sixteen that are currently in the series. My goal is to eventually read them all.
Tony Reinke is the author of this little book on John Newton. It is 271 pages long and a feast for the weary heart. If you enjoyed reading Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, then you will equally enjoy Newton on the Christian life. I read these two books at the same time, and it seemed what I saw in John Newton was the embodiment of the heart of a pastor who was gentle and lowly with those whom he pastored.
You may only know John Newton as the man who was a slave trader and covered by the amazing grace of Jesus on a slave ship, then wrote the classic hymn Amazing Grace. After that, he worked with William Wilberforce to end the slave trade in the UK. In this book, you will see those aspects of his life, but you will also meet John Newton, the pastor. You will see how he pastored the great hymn writer William Cowper, who struggled greatly with deep, dark depression and overwhelming anxiety. You will see how he pointed Cowper and the members of his church to the Fountain of Grace in Jesus. John Newton was an abolitionist and great hymn writer, but first and foremost, he was a pastor. Reinke writes with such clarity that even through his book, Newton will pastor you as you read how he pastored those whose lives were broken by sin and in need of God’s amazing grace. It is my prayer that as you read this book, John Newton will teach you how to immerse yourself in the rich grace of Jesus.
Enjoy! Pastor Michael
Where to find this book:
- Westminster Book Store – $15.99 (paperback)
- Christianbooks.com – $15.99 (paperback and ebook)
- Amazon – $21.99 (paperback); $12.77 (Audibles); $12.49 (Kindle)