Press & Media
BreakPoint
Wilberforce and 'The
Better Hour'
By Chuck Colson
February 19, 2008
At a recent conference on Christian
worldview, a college student asked the
question: "Is there a model for engaging
secularism?" The panel of well-known
experts was stumped, clearly unfamiliar
with the fact that 200 years ago a small
group of politicians, bankers, writers,
and lawyers addressed and overcame the
crisis of secularism and immorality in
England.
This small group of about 10 friends was
known as the Clapham Circle. Following
the lead of English parliamentarian
William Wilberforce, the Clapham Circle
set about with two great, major
objectives: In Wilberforce’s words, "the
suppression of the slave trade and the
reformation of manners." In the process,
they helped transform the self-indulgent
society of eighteenth-century England.
How they did that is the subject of a
new book called Creating the Better
Hour: Lessons from William Wilberforce,
edited by a Centurion, and my friend,
Chuck Stetson. The accompanying
documentary called The Better Hour airs
this month on PBS television stations.
Stetson discusses 10 methods or
strategies that Wilberforce and his
associates used to shape public opinion.
One was the use of a powerful symbol to
focus attention on the plight of the
slave. Wilberforce enlisted the famous
Josiah Wedgwood to create a special
cameo. At the center of the cameo was a
kneeling slave in shackles. Inscribed
around the edges of this picture was the
simple, but provocative question: "Am I
Not a Man and a Brother?"
The Wedgwood cameo became a kind of logo
when the whole concept of a logo was
still novel. The picture and the
accompanying question became a powerful
symbol for human dignity. Women, who at
the time could not vote, wore it on
their dresses and on jewelry to show
their support for the abolition of the
slave trade.
The images from the cameo appeared on
everything from plates to snuff boxes.
The slogan "Am I Not a Man and a
Brother?" was as well known to the
people of Wilberforce’s day as Nike’s
"Just do it" is to any modern American
consumer.
And the slogan posed a pointed question
that was simple but brilliant. People
who never gave slaves a second thought
had to examine their own attitudes and
engage the issue. It reminds me of how
pro-lifers are using in utero
photography to force people to ponder
the humanity of babies in the womb.
Stetson goes on to describe the other
methods Wilberforce and company used so
well: long-term planning, teamwork,
research, effective networking, use of
volunteers, etc.—methods we Christians
would do well to emulate as we tackle
the myriad social ills we face in this
postmodern, self-indulgent society.
But what I take away from Wilberforce
and his circle is not just good ideas
about strategies and tactics, but also
hope. This small handful of committed
believers changed the world. Their
unfailing efforts eventually resulted in
the abolition of slavery itself in
Britain and led to the formation of more
than 69 voluntary
organizations—organizations that tackled
a wide range of social concerns, from
child labor to the prevention of cruelty
to animals to universal education.
"Is there a model for engaging
secularism?" As Stetson’s book shows us,
thanks to William Wilberforce and the
Clapham sect, there certainly is.
Source URL
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7562
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