William Wilberforce

If you take a first year history course you won't hear about Jeremiah Burroughs, or many of the others I've been discussing with you. However, you can't talk about world history without discussing the changes that William Wilberforce in 18th century England. He wasn't raised with much Christian influence, rather from a well-to-do family that afforded him the opportunity to slack-off, drink and gamble all while his Cambridge education was paid for. Even though he wasted this opportunity, he was well-spoken, and from a influential family. This led him to be elected to parliament at only 21 years of age. When he turned 25 he became a Christian, though for a few years he struggled between Jesus and the world. Eventually he resigned from his clubs, dealt with his drinking problems and quit gambling when he beat a man who couldn't afford it.

As a politician, he never lost and election and became good friends with William Pitt who would become Prime Minister at only 25 years of age. While Wilberforce was small in size, he was a brilliant public speaker and influenced many in his lifetime. By far the most significant of his influences, and his life's pursuit, was to put an end to the slave trade. During Wilberforces lifetime, England captured between 35000 and 50000 Africans every year, shipping them to America where they were sold at great profit. The economy profited enormously because of it, but the capture and slave ship conditions were horrible. Mark Galli accurately summarizes it this way:

A boat of 100 to 150 tons could carry 300 to 600 slaves. Five feet of space separated the decks. Male slaves were laid on the floor and on shelves, manacled together in pairs, sometimes so closely packed they had to lie on their sides in sultry heat and rank air. Abruptly torn from their homes, wholly unused to the sea, they lay terrified by the mystery of what was to become of them.

They were fed the coarsest food. Numbers fell ill. Dysentery was rife. In fine weather, they would be taken on deck for a time and forced to dance in their chains, for exercise, while their quarters below were cleaned. In rough weather, they had to remain below. Conditions in a severe Atlantic gale of some days' duration would multiply their sufferings. It is a wonder that only up to a quarter of the slaves died on the voyage. But it is not a wonder that sometimes an African, temporarily released from his fetters, would leap into the sea.

Women and children were not chained together or packed so closely. But the women were regularly exposed to sailors' lust and children to sailors' cruelty. John Newton often told about a mate "who threw a child overboard because it moaned at night in its mother's arms and kept him awake."

Wilberforce spent his entire life working to end this. Though he had the support of the people, too many influential people made huge profits from the evil enterprise. Bill after bill was introduced into commons, but was defeated. Yet, days before his death, in the summer of 1833 the emancipation act passed and put an end to to the slave trade.

William Wilberforce, after his conversion struggled with his post in politics. He thought long about becoming a minister, but those around him confirmed his calling to fight against this great evil in the only place it could be defeated - government. Many great evils exist in our culture as well, they are protected by big money. What are these issues and what should the church's involvement be with these things? Is Wilberforce just a great example, or are any believers actually following his example? What does the Bible say about being involved in politics, fighting for reforms? We'll consider these things and more on Wednesday night. And hopefully another video.

*A post-thought about this. I should mention that this is a glaring example of how people have not always made the best moral decisions. The foundation of our morals is critical, and history should prove to us that. Our own decisions about right and wrong can easily be flawed, but God's word about morality is not. This should inform our decisions so we don't repeat the grave evils of those before us. Emancipation is not the great idea Wilberforce came up with, enforcing God's word is.