Most Christians know John Newton as a man who once captained a slave ship, was dramatically converted to Christ on the high seas, and later penned one of the greatest hymns of the faith, "Amazing Grace." But he also had a huge impact on his times as an icon of the evangelical movement, as a great preacher and theologian, and as a seminal influence on abolitionist William Wilberforce. Newton's friendship with Wilberforce is portrayed in the major motion picture Amazing Grace.

A strong and sometimes divisive figure in British and world politics, Margaret Thatcher was the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the 20th century and the only woman to ever hold the office. Drawing from an abundance of new, previously unpublished material from the Thatcher Archive at Churchill College, Cambridge, Jonathan Aitken's fresh and original biography is a lively and perceptive exploration of the personality that dominated conservative British politics for more than 10 yea...

Jonathan Aitken has written an insightful and illuminating portrait of 21st Century Kazakhstan as it approaches its 20th Anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union.Surprises abound in Aitken's lively pages as he captures the creative tensions between Old and New Kazakhstan. Thanks to his unique access, the author has probed the darkest corners of the fading Soviet era, reporting from inside the prisons, the KGB and the Special Prosecutor's Office. He has also enjoyed ...

Amazing Grace – das weltweit meist gesungene Kirchenlied. Dahinter: ein Leben wie ein Abenteuerroman. John Newton (1725–1807), zuerst zwangsrekrutiert zur Marine, wird später Sklavenhändler in Westafrika. Als er bei einer Stammesprinzessin in Ungnade fällt, wird er versklavt. 1747 gerät er auf der Überfahrt nach England in einen heftigen Sturm und wendet sich in seiner Verzweiflung an Gott. Die Crew überlebt und Newton beschließt, sein Leben zu ändern. Er wird Kapitän auf einem Sklavenschi...

Kazakhstan is colossal in size, complicated in its history, colourful in its culture and is a nation state that most outsiders know little of. Much of the existing narrative revolves around the country's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. But his life can only be understood in the context of the land in which he was born, raised and became a leader.For centuries the tribes of Kazakhstan had been plundered and conquered by foreign invaders. The most ruthless of these were the 20...

Most Christians know John Newton as the slave ship captain who famously converted to Christ on the high seas and then penned one of the greatest hymns of the faith: Amazing Grace.” Less well-known is Newton’s significance in his own day as an evangelical icon, great preacher and theologian, and important influence on abolitionist William Wilberforce. In this fascinating biography, Jonathan Aitken explores many facets of Newton's eventful life story, helping readers better understand his r...

He was Nixon’s hatchet man. A jailed felon. And now, one of the most significant Christian leaders of our time. Here is his life story.Charles Colson has become one of the most revered leaders of our time. His ministry outreach, Prison Fellowship, has swelled to 40,000 volunteers working in 100 countries. His Angel Tree Christmas program provides presents to more than half a million children of prison inmates every year. His daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint,

Jonathan Aitken's conversion occurred at a time when he was experiencing the pressures of political life, a public trial, pleading guilty to perjury, being divorced by his wife, going to prison, and returning to "normal" life. Amid all the pressure of those years, he was discipled in such a way that he learned the discipline of daily prayer and kept extensive prayer journals. It is from these that he mined the material for this book.Essentially following the ACTS approach to prayer...

Jonathan Aitken and Edward Smyth both experienced a dramatic fall from grace.Each of them found themselves removed from their homes and loved ones, locked up in prison and having to deal with the fallout of their actions. However, in the middle of their lowest point they discovered something life-changing. God hadn’t forgotten about them.Doing Time offers encouragement and advice on how to survive and even make the most of life inside prison. Offering the s...

Letters for the Ages Behind Bars is a history of imprisonment told through the letters of people incarcerated over many centuries, for crimes committed or sometimes even for no reason at all. It is a story that runs from St Paul right up to the present day.The act of depriving someone of their liberty is one of humankind's most enduring responses to 'crime' through history. What society has sought to achieve over the years by doing so has shifted across th...

Jonathan Swift's 'The Journal to Stella' is a remarkable assemblage of letters penned by the author to his close friend, Esther Johnson, affectionately known as Stella. This collection, rich in wit and poignant observation, showcases Swift's unique epistolary style that blends humor with a profound sense of emotional depth. The journal provides an intimate glimpse into Swift's thoughts and feelings during the turbulent political landscape of early 18th-century England, while reflecting his...

In "The Journal to Stella," Jonathan Swift presents an intimate correspondence through a series of letters penned to his beloved friend, Esther Johnson, whom he affectionately called Stella. This work, a hallmark of Swift's epistolary style, is steeped in wit, humor, and poignant reflections on personal and political matters of the early 18th century. The letters reveal not only the complexities of Swift's thoughts on society and politics but also offer a glimpse into his emotional landsca...