--- title: Amazing Grace: Song Sung By President Obama Written By Atheist Slaver description: A true story of salvation canonical: https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/ author: Landon Jones article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-28T14:02:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:23:12.462Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Amazing Grace: Song Sung By President Obama Written By Atheist Slaver og:description: Written by an atheist slave trader who saw the error of his ways og:url: https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6f4312748528552/698858c15f570f0619b1c383/obama12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: President Obama Funeral Clementa Pinckney og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Amazing Grace: Song Sung By President Obama Written By Atheist Slaver twitter:description: Written by an atheist slave trader who saw the error of his ways twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6f4312748528552/698858c15f570f0619b1c383/obama12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:11 video:published: 2015-06-26 section: politics topics: funeral service, hymn singing, grace, remembrance of victims, prayer, national unity, religious ceremony genre: event coverage, speech tones: solemn, reverent, mournful, hopeful emotions: grief (high), reverence (high), hope (medium) sentiment: negative audience: news readers, political observers, religious audiences, general public people: Barack Obama, Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Daniel Simmons Senior, Rhonda Coleman Singleton, Myra Thompson organizations: United States government content_suitability: death [00:00-02:11]; tragedy [00:00-02:11]; violence [00:00-01:25] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # The Incredible True Story Behind 'Amazing Grace' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=2d459f49-8871-44ee-96ab-90770332e86b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=2d459f49-8871-44ee-96ab-90770332e86b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=2d459f49-8871-44ee-96ab-90770332e86b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=2d459f49-8871-44ee-96ab-90770332e86b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch President Obama Sing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Slain Pastor’s Funeral [Watch (HLS stream): Watch President Obama Sing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Slain Pastor’s Funeral](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iyU9zc83.m3u8) (2:11)  _Published 2015-06-26. Obama Amazing Grace_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary President Obama sings the hymn 'Amazing Grace' at a funeral service. The video names several people who were killed and says they found grace and passed it on through the example of their lives. The speaker expresses hope that grace will lead them home and that God will continue to shed grace on the United States of America. ## Key points - The speaker names Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, and others as people who found grace. (00:00) - The speaker says the named people passed grace on to the living through the example of their lives. (01:25) - The speaker says he hopes to find himself worthy of the gift of grace for as long as his life endures. (01:45) - The speaker prays that grace will now lead the deceased people home. (01:54) - The speaker prays that God will continue to shed grace on the United States of America. (02:00) - The gathered audience responds with applause at the close of the remarks. (02:05) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 01:25] Hymn and naming of the victims. A hymn is sung and the speaker names several people who found grace. - [01:25 to 02:11] Closing prayer for the victims and nation. The speaker reflects on the example of the named people and prays for grace for them and for the United States. ## Key quotes - [00:00] unidentified speaker: "Clementa Pinckney found that grace." - [01:25] unidentified speaker: "Through the example of their lives, they've now passed it on to us." - [01:45] unidentified speaker: "May we find ourselves worthy of that precious and extraordinary gift as long as our lives endure." - [02:00] unidentified speaker: "May God continue to shed his grace, on the United States of America." ## Questions this video answers - What hymn is sung in the video? [00:00] - Who are the people named as having found grace? [00:00] - How does the speaker say the named people have affected the living? [01:25] - What does the speaker pray for the deceased people? [01:54] - What does the speaker pray for the United States of America? [02:00] ## Content suitability - death [00:00-02:11]: The video is a funeral service remembering people who were killed. - tragedy [00:00-02:11]: The named people are described as deceased in a mass-casualty setting referenced by the funeral context. - violence [00:00-01:25]: The video references the deaths of the named people, implying a violent cause that is not described in the transcript. by [Landon Jones](https://time.com/author/landon-jones/) ## Landon Jones Jun 28, 2015 2:02 PM UTC President Obama's rendition of "Amazing Grace" carried with it two centuries of history, when it was written by a slaver-turned abolitionist. by [Landon Jones](https://time.com/author/landon-jones/) ## Landon Jones Jun 28, 2015 2:02 PM UTC When President Obama turned to the soaring lyrics of Amazing Grace to comfort the grieving families in Charleston, South Carolina this week, he was turning to a song that is almost as much of a staple of the U.S. Presidency as Hail to the Chief. Yet, as there is so often when race is the topic, the back story behind the hymn that is suddenly everywhere is not so simple. Amazing Grace was written by an Englishman who in the early part of his life was an outspoken atheist, libertine, and slave trader. John Newton was born in London in 1725, the son of a Puritan mother and a stern ship commander father who took him to sea when he was 11 (“I am persuaded that he loved me but he seemed not willing that I should know it,” he later wrote). By 1745, Newton was enlisted in the slave trade, running captured slaves from Africa to, ironically, Charleston, S.C. After he rode out a storm at sea in 1748, he found his faith. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1764 and became an important voice in the English abolitionist movement. At that time he wrote the autobiographical Amazing Grace, along with 280 other hymns. Today Amazing Grace is beloved by Presidents and citizens alike and remains a go-to hymn at American funerals, because of its striking melodies and ever-popular narrative of personal redemption. The born-again Jimmy Carter was the first recent President to embrace Amazing Grace, singing it with everyone from Willie Nelson to Senate Majority leader Robert Byrd. But this spiritual is nonpartisan. It was performed at the funeral of Ronald Reagan by Ronan Tynan and at Gerald Ford’s funeral by a single bagpiper. At Richard Nixon’s funeral, Billy Graham quoted from Amazing Grace in his eulogy and told the story of John Newton, crediting him for later working to end the English slave trade. Race is the moëbius strip of American life, always turning and eating its own tail. President Obama may have thought he was choosing a lovely hymn to comfort the afflicted, which he surely did. But, as always, salvation is not so simple. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] A wretch like me. I once was [ MUSIC ] [00:03] Clementa Pinckney found that grace. Cynthia Hurd [00:04] found that grace. Susie Jackson found that grace. [00:05] [ INAUDIBLE ] found that [00:18] grace. The [00:54] pain Middleton doctor found [00:59] that grace. [ INAUDIBLE ] found [01:03] that grace. Daniel Elf [01:08] Simmons Senior found that [01:12] grace. Rhonda Coleman Singleton found that [01:19] grace. Myra Thompson found that grace. [01:25] [ MUSIC ] Through the [01:30] example of their [01:35] lives, they've now [01:40] passed it on to us. [01:45] May we find ourselves worthy of that precious [01:50] and extraordinary gift as long as our lives [01:54] endure. May grace now lead them home. May [02:00] God continue to shed his grace, on the United [02:05] States of America. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/"},"headline":"The Incredible True Story Behind 'Amazing Grace'","datePublished":"2015-06-28T14:02:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:23:12.462Z","description":"Its author was an atheist slave trader who found salvation","url":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/","keywords":["faith"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6f4312748528552/698858c15f570f0619b1c383/obama12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Landon Jones","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/landon-jones/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6f4312748528552/698858c15f570f0619b1c383/obama12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Obama Funeral Clementa Pinckney","caption":"President Obama Funeral Clementa Pinckney","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/","name":"The Incredible True Story Behind 'Amazing Grace'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The 150+ Years Of History Behind Pres. Obama's Amazing Grace","description":"President Obama's rendition of \"Amazing Grace\" carried with it two centuries of history, when it was written by a slaver-turned abolitionist.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Q3bYCdIf/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-28T18:36:25.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q3bYCdIf.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch President Obama Sing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Slain Pastor’s Funeral","description":"Obama Amazing Grace","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/iyU9zc83/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-26T19:42:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iyU9zc83.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/","duration":"PT2M11S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3939193/amazing-grace-history-john-newton/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```