Who Shall be our “Wilberforce”?

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE (1759-1833) was a British politician and philanthropist who served in Parliament from 1780 to 1812. As a child, he was a close friend of Sir William Pitt, who would later become the Prime Minister. What makes the story, the biography of William Wilberforce is the nature and demeanor in which this man chose to pursue his political career.

In 1784, after just four years in the Parliament, Wilberforce became an independent, and continued to hold his Parliamentary seat. It was at this time, during a trip through Europe, that the young Wilberforce underwent a spiritual conversion that lead him to more deeply and intuitively examine his life, his past, his future, and his commitment to God.

It was in this spiritual conversion that Wilberforce saw that there were injustices that were not being addressed, primarily, the slave trade that the British empire was actively involved in. He began to meet, firstly secretly, with leaders in the anti-slavery movement. He began submitting legislation toward the abolishment of the slave trade, which, understandably for the era, was met with great opposition.

Year after year, Wilberforce faced the challenges, and the ridicule, pursuing and championing a cause that the majority would not embrace. His close friend and confidante, Sir William Pitt, was also an abolishinist, who himself sought to aid Wilberforce’s cause. The eventual outcome was the abolishment of the slave trade.

What makes the William Wilberforce story somewhat unique was that, at the time of his spiritual conversion, in an era where one’s religious beliefs were private in nature when publicized, would make one subject to ridicule, Wilberforce first questioned his role in public life, and then, embracing the challenge, would not permit his religious beliefs to diminish his belief in his legislative goals. His politics had to embrace his religious convictions, and vice-versa. Subject often to the contempt of his peers, to the point that he became ill, Wilberforce was relentless in the support of the various causes he championed.

To understand Wilberforce’s impact on moral reform, abolishment of slavery, prison reform, and other social causes of the day, the movie Amazing Grace provides a glance into Wilberforce’s struggle to balance his religious ideals with his social goals. (Note: The movie was released in 2007 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the 1807 act to abolish slavery).

So, the question for today, for those who want to be our leaders, is, who will be our Wilberforce?

While our founding fathers, like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, may have pursued their goals with idealism and passion of Wilberforce, the “business” of politics has long changed that in America. It is time that we have a leader come forward who does not “flip-flop” on the issues, a leader who is not afraid to face the controversy head on, a leader who accepts the challenges but is unfaltering on his principles and values. The challenge before us is who before us is our Wilberforce? Who can step up to accept the challenge of our economy, our decaying moral values as a country as a whole, our fuel crisis, our war on terrorism, and our place in the global marketplace, and face this challenge without compromising his principles and values?

With all truth and honesty, I am not sure that either John McCain or Barack Obama could come even remotely close to being William Wilberforce, and I’m not sure who presently would be able to meet that challenge. It is time that we begin to demand this standard of our leaders.