John Wilberforce and John Wesley

You may have heard about the new movie called Amazing Grace about the life and work of John Wilberforce of Great Britain who sought to abolish the slave trade. Below is an article written by Neil Caldwell, editor of the Virginia Advocate News magazine (the article actually appeared in a weekly companion to the Virginia Advocate called the Sunday Advocate).

Movie, campaign link past and present slavery

The last letter that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote before his death was to William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament fighting to end the British slave trade. Dated Feb. 24, 1791 — six days before Wesley died — the letter offered encouragement: “If God be fore you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.”

Sixteen years later, in 1807, Wilberforce finally achieved his goal when Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade. The movie “Amazing Grace,” now playing in theaters, chronicles his efforts, and a related campaign focuses on ending modern-day slavery in the world. The film’s title refers to the famous hymn by John Newton, a former slave trader who converted to Christianity and became a priest in the Church of England. In the movie, Wilberforce visits Newton twice and, in one scene, climbs atop a table in a pub and sings the hymn’s first verse. Wilberforce converted to Christianity under the ministry of Wesley, a lifelong opponent of slavery.

The Church of England is marking the 200th anniversary of the end of the slave trade with a March 24 act of repentance. On Feb. 24 the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously to express “profound regret” for the state’s role in slavery.

In conjunction with the movie is “The Amazing Change” campaign to continue Wilberforce’s work. The effort is designed to raise awareness of slavery and other forms of oppression in today’s world, and to encourage involvement in and funding for organizations working to abolish slavery. One of its funding partners is RugMark, a nonprofit organization working to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry in India, Nepal and Pakistan. RugMark is supported by the Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministries and was endorsed by the Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty.

Downloadable versions of an “Amazing Grace” faith guide for church leaders can be found at <www.amazinggracemovie.com> under the resources tab. Visit <www.theamazingchange.com> for information about the campaign.