Curt Smith: What we can learn from William Wilberforce

LONDON—Great Britain passed a law. America fought a war.

The international legacy of slavery is more complicated than two sentences, but the above words are a good summary of the amazing path abolishing slavery took throughout the British empire as compared to America.

The Abraham-Lincoln-like figure in England was William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament who fought slavery for 40-plus years, first banning trading in slaves and then abolishing slavery outright in 1834.

On a recent trip to England, designed in part to explore the legacy of Wilberforce, I saw the genius of this accomplishment in full sight.

Wilberforce was elected to Parliament in 1780 when he was just 21years old. Soon his Christian faith deepened, and he sought the counsel of a seasoned cleric named John Newton. Newton is best known for writing the lyrics to “Amazing Grace,” the world’s most popular spiritual song.

The crisis Wilberforce faced was staying in politics, a corrupt enterprise, as a man of faith. Newton counseled remaining in Parliament, advice Wilberforce took to heart.

Newton’s London church, where he pastored for 27 years, is nestled in London’s financial district. A few years ago, it became an active church again, after decades as a museum. Knowledgeable guests are granted a tour of his private study and the privilege of praying on the bench he prayed upon in the sanctuary. It is a true goose-bump experience for the acclimated.

Across the city, in an area known as Clapham, another church adds to the Wilberforce story. Along with a wide swath of friends and colleagues, including the chairman of the East India Tea Co. board, Wilberforce help found Trinity Clapham Anglican Church. It is ably led by Jago Wynne, a former Accenture consultant turned rector, who lovingly stewards the legacy of Wilberforce while serving an active urban congregation.

The legacy and influence of Wilberforce and his merry band of reformers is evident, including the impact of the Methodist Church and its founders, John and Charles Wesley. Methodism was the upstart “reform” version of Christianity, as opposed to the perceived staid Anglican Church.

Wilberforce’s lessons for legislators and reformers alike are clear and carefully documented by historians such as Eric Metaxas (“Amazing Grace”) and Garth Lean (“God’s Politician”).

First, social reform requires persistence. This lesson was often drawn upon by the pro-life community before the Dobbs U.S. Supreme Court decision ending abortion on demand. Wilberforce and his colleagues battled slavery as a moral evil for more than 40 years.

Second, coalitions build strength. The reformers who lived, worked and worshipped together in Clapham included legislators, authors, clerics, ex-slave traders, artists, financiers and philanthropists, to name just some of the key leaders’ professions.

Third, compromise is often essential to legislative success in social movements. Wilberforce accepted a partial win—abolishing the slave trade in 1807. It was a half-step, and very controversial. How could the abolitionist movement accept any slavery? In short, the abolitionists did not accept a repudiation of their principles. They simply engaged in a prudent half-measure on the path to full victory. That victory was slow in coming, complicated by a protracted war between France and England, but victory was inevitable when they won the first battle of the war.

Those engaged in public-policy battles involving moral issues with social consequences should learn from the life and legacy of Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect. He invested his life, his energy, his fortune and his fervent prayers in resolving a moral contradiction that eluded American leaders, even one as formidable as Lincoln.•

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Smith is chairman of the Indiana Family Institute and author of “Deicide: Why Eliminating The Deity is Destroying America.” Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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