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TechnoratiFinally, and perhaps most importantly, Wilberforce saw his goals as God-given. He began his strong quest for the abolition of the slave trade and the reformation of manners after coming to a strong faith in God. As a fervent Christian, he based his quest to abolish slavery on biblical morality. He exhorted Parliament, "Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country."
Lessons To Be Learned
There are lessons to be learned from Wilberforce's great efforts. He understood better than most that it is not just what you say, but how you say it that convinces others of the truth. He held steadfastly to his Christian convictions in the face of demagogues of all types and, while he spent twenty years waging war over a controversial issue, charity always tempered his passion.
The world still contains many grave affronts to human dignity. Men, women, and children are still enslaved around the world through forced labor, bonded labor, and sex trafficking (at least 12.3 million according to Beth Herzfeld's essay in Creating the Better Hour). Women are forced into marriages, widows are burned to death, some people are discriminated against because of their skin color, and others are starved to death by tyrannical governments. Here at home we give license to the powerful to exterminate the young or old or handicapped whenever we find them inconvenient. Wilberforce's pursuit of human equality and freedom is certainly far from finished.
We would do well to remember Wilberforce's work and emulate it. We must advocate ceaselessly for the equality and dignity of all human beings, even as we retain a spirit of charity toward our opponents and those whom we are trying to persuade.
Ken Connor is Chairman of the Center for a Just Society in Washington, DC and a nationally recognized trial lawyer who represented Governor Jeb Bush in the Terri Schiavo case. Connor was formally President of the Family Research Council, Chairman of the Board of CareNet, and Vice Chairman of Americans United for Life. For more articles and resources from Mr. Connor and the Center for a Just Society, go to www.ajustsociety.org. Your feedback is welcome; please email info@ajustsociety.org.
