Well, undoubtedly you've been hearing the buzz about the new film Amazing Grace being released this weekend. I saw the film back in October at a special sneak preview we held at BreakPoint and I loved the film. It is definitely one that you want to see and invite others to see.
If you're not familiar with this hero, you want to get to know him. Today, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of his crowning accomplishment: the abolition of the slave trade in England. Converted in his early twenties, Wilberforce continued serving as one of the youngest members of the British Parliament and lived out his faith by working to abolish the trade and later to bring emancipation. As if so great an accomplishment were not enough, he and his co-laborers in the Clapham Circle worked to bring reform to the prison system, establish a society for prevention of cruelty to animals, a society for the reformation of manners (think culture and piety), a tract society, a Bible society, a mission society, the Sunday School movement, and much, much more.
I've been captivated by the spirit of Wilberforce and the Clapham Circle. If you're not familiar with his story, or if you're just looking to further your discussion about the film, you might want to check out the series we've been running over at BreakPoint this week:
- The Spirit of Wilberforce: Worldview in Action ... William Pitt reminded Wilberforce, "Surely the principles of Christianity lead not to meditation only, but to action." These became words that defined the life of this young statesman.
- The Spirit of Awareness... One of the great triumphs of Wilberforce's campaign was that he made a largely invisible evil visible to the people of his day. In a stirring speech before Parliament he says, "the nature and all the circumstances of this Trade are now laid open to us. We can no longer plead ignorance . . . We may spurn it . . . but we cannot turn aside so as to avoid seeing it.” Likewise, today we must work to bring evil to light and defeat it.
- The Spirit of Collaboration... While the world's eyes are focused on Wilberforce this week, he never could have accomplished the abolition of the slave trade without the little community of Christians who pooled their energies and their talents to bring an end to so great an evil. How can we recapture the Spirit of the Clapham Circle in our day?
- The Spirit of Prudence... Those who worked to abolish the slave trade made incremental gains over the long haul. What do they have to teach us about toppling societal giants?
- The Spirit of Perseverance... The battle to end the slave trade took Wilberforce eightteen years and his youthful vigor. At his low point, John Wesley wrote him, "“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.” What can we learn from Wilberforce about persevering in the Christian journey?
If you're curious to read more about Wilberforce, let me also recommend Eric Metaxes' delightful new biography Amazing Grace and Kevin Belmonte's Hero for Humanity. Both are excellent.
If you can't get enough (like me), I highly recommend Wilberforce's own book with the exceedingly long title, A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity. Whoo--where were his marketing people? Actually, you can read a great edited and abridged version of this called Real Christianity. I've found this to be thoroughly challenging and thought-provoking. A great devotional read.
Still can't get enough? Well, I've been writing about Wilberforce for weeks it seems. Here are a few more posts, by yours truly:
Wilberforce, Not at Liberty: Isn't it ironic that Wilberforce saw himself as the Lord's bondservant?
Amazing Grace and Breach: Integrity vs. Compartmentalization: An interesting juxtaposition at the box-office
Share Thou the Vision?: Reviving the Clapham Saints' Spirit
Wilberforce: A Worldview of Hope: On the nature of Christianity
A Dose of Wilberforce: Excerpts from Wilberforce's Real Christianity
Another Dose of Wilberforce, Lazy Minds Repent: More excerpts
Twas the Night Before Elections: Wilberforce and Corporate Guilt
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that slavery still exists with us today, find out how you can be a part of the campaign to end modern day slavery at The Amazing Change Website and read a few of my reflections on Practical Justice over at The Point. Also, check out the book Not for Sale and of course, the work of IJM.
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