I've long admired the life and work of William Wilberforce, the British member of parliament and evangelical Christian, who championed the abolishment of the slave trade in the United Kingdom. Now, after getting an up-close look at Wilberforce's determination and frailty, and his faith and growth, by reading William Hauge's epic biography William Wilberforce, I'm more in awe of the man.
Hague's biography is immensely practical and inspiration for wrestling with the extent to which we should seek for our faith to impact and shape culture. Wilberforce's life is a lesson in wisely, persistently, compassionately engaging fallen culture with the truths of Christ, for the betterment of humanity and the spread of the gospel (think Niehbuhr's Christ and culture discussions). And so, fresh off from finishing the book, I'd like to share some reflections from Wilberforce's life.
Three Takeaways
Here are a few takeaways I gleaned:
(1) The power of persistence.
For decades William Wilberforce was a mocked and marginalized politician because he consistently cried out against the inhumanity of the slave trade. Nevertheless, he pressed on annually to call for the abolishment of the slave trade (the first step to ending slavery). He never let opposition, slander, political pressure, loneliness, or exhaustion deter him from standing for justice for Africans who were being trafficked. When ending the slave trade proved to be an uphill battle, he personally spent a great deal of his wealth on establishing and equipping a colony for freed slaves in Sierra Leone. Truly, he put his money where his values were, and spared no expense to protect and serve people who had been treated unjustly. Finally, in the days before his death, he got to see the slave trade's abolishment become a reality wherever the British flag flew.
(2) The importance of collaboration.
Wilberforce, though a key (if not the key) leader of anti-slavery efforts, was one of many individuals who compacted together to see slavery to its end. His fellow believer Thomas Clarkson was the data gatherer and statistician of the anti-slave trade efforts. Clarkson complied hard data (difficult to obtain in those days) to show the evils and harm done by human trafficking. On top of this, the first grassroots political efforts in English politics led to a groundswell of opposition to slavery, of which Wilberforce was merely the lead spokesman. Truly, ending slavery was a multigenerational effort that required participation from ordinary Christians across the land, and political leaders as well. Change in society swings on collaboration.
(3) Honestly About One's Ordinariness
William was his own fiercest critic. Every day he rated himself for his performance and discipline in eating, devotional life, and self-control, and usually rated his days as "bad." He had no false estimations of greatness on his part and was not in the arena for self-promotion. On top of this he was a sickly, frail man, who frequently had to take months off after overworking to convalesce. He simply served as hard and diligently as he could for his fellow man. Knowing he was weak, William depended entirely on the Lord to grant grace for his efforts and did not care who received credit for great victories. In addition, he saw his consequential role in world politics as inconsequential for himself, and only consequential because it was for God and for his fellow humanity.
Who Is This Book For?
These are just three of several key lessons I took away from Wilberforce's life. I highly commend this book to any Christian–
- who is engaged in politics and government,
- who is desiring to promote social justice in our fallen world,
- who wants to serve God faithfully in spite of physical and spiritual weakness in their lives, or
- who wants to do better at living a wise, skilled life that is productive for God's kingdom.
I imagine I'll be reading this book again and again through the years to glean more life lessons from Wilberforce's journey of faith.
A Few Final Notes
William Hague is an author with a unique perspective to guide the reader through Wilberforce's storied life, for he too has been a member of Parliament and is currently First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary of Great Britain.
I want to thank my brother J. Nathan MatÃas for lending me his copy of the U.K. version of this book. Nathan models a joy in collaboration and credit-sharing, one of the key values evidenced by Wilberforce.
Where to Buy
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