Standing Up For What Is Right

The movie "Amazing Grace," which we will be screening tonight, is about a man, William Wilberforce, who was guided by his principles of faith in a world where that wasn't popular. He took a stand on an issue that wasn't popular, and he fought to make a difference.

But most importantly, he did it in a God-honoring way. William Wilberforce was a politician and a devout believer. He believed that the slave trade in England violated God’s law because it failed to show God’s love to those in bondage. He felt God put it on his heart to be an agent of change. He tirelessly campaigned to abolish slavery in Britain. He gave impassioned speeches, offered legislation, and tried to rally people to support the cause. He fought for 26 years before the government abolished slavery. During that time he suffered a decline in his health, he lost his status, some of his personal wealth and his political capital. He suffered because he was a voice standing up against the popular tide, but God used him as an agent of change within the system.

Now let’s talk about another historical figure who fought against slavery. His name was John Brown and he was a militant abolitionist that lived during the pre-Civil War era in the United States. John Brown advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means of abolishing slavery. He led a massacre in 1856 and many violent acts in Kansas before leading the raid on Harpers Ferry. He killed five proslavery southerners and incited an insurrection. His arrest, trial and execution coupled with his actions inflamed an already hot issue and, possibly, hastened the escalation of hostilities that led to the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln called Brown as “misguided fanatic.”

Both Brown and Wilberforce sought the same thing — the abolishment of the slave trade. But only one expressed his desire and beliefs in a way that was honoring to God. That is what makes him an important historical figure, and a great example of faith in action.