On Saturday, our longtime friends Lowell and Carol drove in from Manhattan, KS. Together we went to see the movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce, the lifelong champion of abolishing slavery and advocate for social change. The movie is exceptionally well done. Here are three thoughts I had watching the movie.
First, Wilberforce frequently found himself trapped between the dominant forces of society who benefited from slavery and radical elements that saw a revolution in America and France as the wave of the future for England. His vision of a nobler and redeemed England was stronger than competing forces. I read recently that economic historians have sought for years to offer an economic explanation for why England abolished slavery and how and when they did. The historical consensus is that the change was economically detrimental (though not devastatingly so.) The change came because of moral suasion, not economic imperative.
Second, Wilberforce was a flawed but godly human being. Importantly, he was also a human being in community with others who shared God's vision. Wilberforce was a great and persuasive speaker, but he was speaking out of a community with a vision.
Third, like the Apostle Paul, Wilberforce accessed and used what political and economic resources had been placed at his disposal to do the work of God where God had planted him, rather than opting for some type of sacred/secular split that would suggest he should serve God in "full-time" ministry. Wilberforce was doing full-time ministry where God had placed him. If there is any danger in this movie, it would be to tempt the viewer into thinking that they can't do what Wilberforce did when they can. They can be "Wilberforce" with the political, economic, and relational resources in the place God has placed them.
The movie is well worth seeing. While the topic is slavery, there are not a lot of graphic, disturbing images. Therefore, I would feel comfortable bringing children down to grade school age. You might do well to read a short bio about Wilberforce before attending. The movie tends to jump back and forth across the timeline of Wilberforce's life, and I found myself lost a couple of times with regard to what era we were viewing and how to contextualize the events. That was one of my few (and minor) complaints. I may see it again. There is a lot to reflect on in this movie.
(Also, be sure to visit the Amazing Change website to explore what you might do to help end modern slavery.)
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