Amazing Grace:
The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind his Song
Co-written with Craig Borlase, this book tells the dramatic story of John Newton for a new generation. Newton was the author of “Amazing Grace,” and 2023 is the 250th anniversary of the song If anyone had ever been through many, dangers, toils, and snares, it was Newton, and his life is a parable of the grace we all need today, more than ever. The book is based on years of research on the life and writings of Newton. Yet we have written the book for a general audience, and it is presented with the pacing and story-telling of a novel. It was published on March 7, 2023 by HarperCollins.
The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism: True Religion in a Modern World
“An artfully written, insightful, and sometimes brilliant account of evangelicalism in its original eighteenth century forms. I highly recommend The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism to anyone who wishes to understand the essence of the movement.”
— George Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life
The Evangelical Conversion Narrative:
Spiritual Autobiography in Early Modern England
“A landmark study, not only of evangelical conversion narratives, but also of evangelical conversions themselves. It is the best book ever published by a North American on eighteenth-century evangelical religion.”
—Mark A. Noll, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
John Newton and the English Evangelical Tradition
“There is no better account of an eighteenth-century Evangelical parish priest than this. Though Hindmarsh chronicles the career of one man, his is in many ways a microcosmic study which touches on many aspects of the Evangelical Revival in its ‘heroic’ early stages. The book is finely nuanced and written with style and clarity.”
— John Walsh, Journal of Theological Studies
Johann Arndt’s True Christianity
“Why publish a new edition of Wesley’s abridgement today? Charles F. Schaeffer published a revised edition of Boehm’s text in 1868. A new translation of Book I was prepared in 1979 by Peter Erb, with headings and summaries of the remaining chapters for all six books, and this was included in the Classics of Western Spirituality series by Paulist Press. But there is not yet a critical edition in English of the full text of Arndt’s work. This present republication of Wesley’s edition is not a critical edition, but it does fill a gap. It is intended for the reader who would like to read through the first four books and get the marrow of Arndt’s teaching. Wesley was remarkably skilled and effective in achieving his goals of clarity and brevity, and he produced a text that remains very readable today.
Above all, though, it is the message of Arndt’s book that is needed today. The book is certainly a classic and many have testified to its spiritual power . . .”
— From the Introduction
The Life and Spirituality of John Newton
“Newton’s life story, his parish ministry and practice of spiritual direction, and the integrity of his personal relationships make him a trustworthy guide to the spiritual life today. The two works reprinted here give a good introduction to his life and ministry. His Authentic Narrative gives a clue to why Newton found God’s grace in his life so amazing. He found that God had done for him what he could not do for himself—a sentiment which has always formed the bedrock of evangelical conviction. The three letters of spiritual direction which follow the Authentic Narrative are from his Omicron volume of personal letters, published in 1774, and these provide a classical statement of evangelical spirituality and a model of spiritual formation which is at once simple and profound.”
— From the Introduction
For Christ and his Kingdom: Inspiring a New Generation
“I have taken some space to lay out Wesley’s concern for the transmission of faith to another generation and his strategic priorities, which were basic Christian formation in families and churches, and the equipping of Christian leaders for this through higher education and attention to personal spirituality. Friends, I think this is still true for us today. In the effort to pass on a living faith to a new generation, every one of us as leaders in Christian higher education . . . should strive to unite deep scholarship and deep devotion as a matter of first importance . . .”
— From “The Transmission of Living Faith: Christian Education as Paradosis,” in this volume.