Courage of Conviction

Last Sunday Pastor Allen mentioned William Wilberforce, a hero in the faith whom he has mentioned many times before.

Best remembered for persistently advocating the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, it is interesting that Wilberforce came to faith as an adult, after reading Philip Doddridge's The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul.

The struggle against slavery was a long and costly one for Wilberforce. As is often told, it was only finally abolished just three days before Wilberforce's death. One may wonder how a man could find the courage to persist in such an unpopular position against great obstacles.

The back story is that living unashamedly as a Christian in a nominally Christian nation had forged a peculiarly efficacious strain of conviction in Wilberforce, as is described in this excerpt from Wikipedia:

"At the time, religious enthusiasm was generally regarded as a social transgression and was stigmatised in polite society. Evangelicals in the upper classes, such as Sir Richard Hill, the Methodist MP for Shropshire, and Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon were exposed to contempt and ridicule, and Wilberforce's conversion led him to question whether he should remain in public life. Wilberforce sought guidance from John Newton, a leading Evangelical Anglican clergyman of the day and Rector of St Mary Woolnoth in the City of London. Both Newton and Pitt counselled Wilberforce to remain in politics, and he resolved to do so "with increased diligence and conscientiousness". Thereafter, his political views were informed by his faith and by his desire to promote Christianity and Christian ethics in private and public life. His views were often deeply conservative, opposed to radical changes in a God-given political and social order, and focused on issues such as the observance of the Sabbath and the eradication of immorality through education and reform. As a result, he was often distrusted by progressive voices due to his conservatism, and regarded with suspicion by many Tories who saw Evangelicals as radicals, bent on the overthrow of church and state."

I mention this because we often feel we live in a very difficult time for Christians who are thoughtfully attempting to integrate their faith with their public lives, but Wilberforce is a great role model for us in this respect. Because he chose faithfulness to Christ over the approval of men, a tremendous social change for the better was able to be accomplished; many gnerations of former and potential slaves have benefitted from his courageous conviction.