William Wilberforce on "In Our Time"

Did you manage to catch "In Our Time" on BBC Radio 4 this morning? If not, you missed a treat. I knew nothing about him, but hearing the story of William Wilberforce was inspirational.

Wilberforce was born in Hull in 1759. He attended St John's College, Cambridge where, basically, he partied hard, and left with a degree without honours. Becoming a politician aged 21, he experienced anew his semi-forgotten religious conviction, joined the Clapham Sect (a leading evangelical Anglican group) and was influenced by a number of people including Thomas Clarkson who encouraged him to take up a "mission" in life, and that of the abolition of the laws in England legalising the slave trade eventually became his overriding passion. It took him two decades in the face of stiff opposition from those who made their fortunes from the slave trade, but eventually an act of parliament was passed prohibiting the slave trade.*

It's hard to belive that many politicians of this age would stand firm in the face of such opposition to support a largely unpopular cause over 20 years. But wouldn't it be great if they did. Let's not allow the truth the be glossed over, either: what Wilberforce did was right, and maybe would have eventually occurred witout his input, but his motivation and the source of his conviction was unquestionably his Christian faith. He was a man who didn't only listen, but also acted.

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* Source - mainly from the BBC