Last night my wife and I had the opportunity to see the new movie Amazing Grace. For those of you who don't know this film traces the twenty plus years struggle of William Wilberforce and his allies to abolish the slave-trade in the British Empire in the early 1800's.
I was greatly impressed by the production and its attention to the spiritual forces that worked in Wilberforce's life to compel his dedication to the abolition of this great social evil. Crucial to this was the impact of slave-trader turned preacher John Newton on Wilberforce.
In an age where the intersection of politics and Christianity is much debated, the story of William Wilberforce reminds us that there can be fidelity to both. Believers on both sides of the aisle can learn some valuable lessons from the work of Wilberforce and his like.
Here are some additional resources to consider:
The Amazing Grace Movie website. Be sure to check out the resources available for use in churches and schools.
This series of articles looks at how William Wilberforce and Thomas Jefferson came down on different sides of the slavery question because of the men who mentored them - Wilberforce had John Newton, Jefferson had humanist William Smalls.
A great look at the spiritual side of the life of Wilberforce is written by John Piper. It can be found here. The PDF can be read online for free.
The Amazing Change highlights the on-going struggle to free millions from modern-day slavery.
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