Today is the 250th birthday of William Wilberforce. William was a member of the British Parliament and the driving force behind ending slavery in the British Empire. He is one of the Giants of Faith that in my estimation doesn’t receive enough attention.
Though he was a Christian, it had little bearing on his early political career. However, a crisis of faith caused him to examine his life and consider leaving politics for the ministry. But after a meeting with his mentor John Newton (writer of Amazing Grace and also an underrated Giant of the Faith), he is persuaded that he can use his faith in the political realm. He would spend the rest of his career in the Parliament working diligently to outlaw the slave trade. Through personal illness, strong opposition, and a number of parliamentary bills, William would eventually persevere.
Two good resources on the life of William Wilberforce include A Hero For Humanity a great biography by Kevin Belmonte and an excellent movie on his life is Amazing Grace with English actor Ioan Gruffudd playing William.
