Amazing Grace

I’m not sure how many people had heard of William Wilberforce before the release of Amazing Grace , but there are millions worldwide who now consider him a modern hero. And I admit that I knew little about Wilberforce before watching this film.

Amazing Grace tells his story: a young parliamentarian—first elected at just 21 years of age—in early 19th-century London, who led the political process to bring an end to the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1833, just before his death.

At the height of the British Empire with so much of the economic wellbeing of the empire built upon the slave trade, Wilberforce was always going to face an epic battle. Amazing Grace is the story of a young man driven by his deep personal faith, struggling against the powers and dealing with defeat after defeat, while finding strength to carry on.

The critical moment in the story happens in Wilberforce’s dining room. Following a conversion experience, he is threatening to give up his parliamentary career for a religious life. His friend and mentor—and author of the great hymn, “Amazing grace”—John Newton, encourages him to continue his career, saying, “You’ve got work to do.” But young Wilberforce is not convinced. His friend, the 24-yearold Prime Minister, William Pitt, also tries to dissuade him, but his mind will not be changed. He would leave politics and live for God.

In what amounts to an ambush, Pitt invites several well-known abolitionists to Wilberforce’s home for dinner, in a final effort to change his friend’s mind. “We understand you are having problems choosing whether to do the work of God or the work of a political activist,” they say. “We humbly suggest that you can do both.” That suggestion—that he could do both—was enough to launch Wilberforce into a lifelong battle to end the inhuman institution of slavery. While the final battles were not won until long after his death in 1833, he did live to see some major victories. But not without serious personal cost.

More than just an inspiring personal story, this film amounts to a rallying cry for a coalition of new abolitionists. According to Amnesty International, there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today. This number is staggering to the average moviegoer because most of these slaves are hidden from our view.

In this way, Amazing Grace is not just entertainment. It is part of a movement. There is a groundswell of Christians, of all ages and from every country on the globe, who are realising that—to quote a line from the film—“the principles of Christianity lead to action.” Amazing Grace will be released in Australia and New Zealand on July 26.

If you want to be a part of this new abolitionist movement, go to <www.theamazingchange.com> and find out how.