William Wilberforce: Faith that Changed a Nation
On February 23, 1807, after nearly two decades of setbacks, speeches, defeats, and renewed efforts, the British House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to abolish Great Britain’s slave trade. Members rose to cheer as William Wilberforce—exhausted and overcome with emotion—sat, with tears streaming down his face. This was a political victory, for sure; however, its roots ran much deeper. Wilberforce believed he had spent much of his life carrying out a calling given to him by God.
Today, we remember William Wilberforce for leading the almost two-decade charge to end the British slave trade. However, we cannot comprehend his political work apart from his deep Christian faith. His life demonstrates how the implications of the Gospel can shape public service and the pursuit of justice. Therefore, to understand Wilberforce’s lifelong campaign, we must begin with the spiritual transformation that reshaped his entire life.
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A Promising Young Politician
William Wilberforce was born in Hull, England, in 1759, as the son of a merchant, Richard, who died in 1758. As a child, he was regularly in weak health. After his father’s death, Wilberforce’s mother sent him to live in London with his aunt and uncle, and he became increasingly interested in the evangelical movement, including the influential Methodist George Whitefield. His more traditional Anglican mother and grandfather, alarmed by this interest, brought him back to Hull, eventually quelling his fervor for some time.
Wilberforce was educated at Cambridge and became independently wealthy upon the deaths of both his grandfather and uncle. At Cambridge, he became friends with fellow member William Pitt, an alliance that would prove fortuitous for years to come. Encouraged by Pitt, who was seeking a place in Parliament, Wilberforce followed suit and was elected to Parliament at the young age of 21. In Parliament, Wilberforce was, in this early phase of his career, very financially comfortable, successful, and socially connected. While a baptized Anglican on paper, he had cast his evangelical fervor aside, with faith a less-defining feature of his life.
The “Great Change”
However, in the mid-1870s, over a decade into his service in Parliament, Wilberforce had a profound encounter, which he called the “great change,” that would forever redirect his life and the trajectory of the United Kingdom: Jesus Christ.
Following a tour of continental Europe, Wilberforce traveled from Switzerland to London with his friend Isaac Milner. Along the way, they read and were inspired by The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul by the 18th-century nonconformist Philip Doddridge. This renewed Wilberforce’s long dormant evangelical zeal. He began reading Scripture again, rising early each day to pray.
Committed to his renewed life in Christ, Wilberforce initially thought that he should leave politics altogether, even perhaps pursue ordained ministry. However, the Rev. John Newton, a former slave-trader who repented and became an evangelical Anglican priest (and hymn-writer of “Amazing Grace”), encouraged him to take a different route: “It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of his Church and for the good of the nation.” Newton saw Wilberforce’s spiritual renewal as a catalyst for great change in the heart of the nation. Under this inspiration from Newton and others, Wilberforce came to see Parliament as a place of Christian vocation rather than an obstacle to it.
“Two Great Objects”
Introduce one of Wilberforce’s most famous journal entries:
God Almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.
These were, ultimately, two highly interconnected purposes, rooted in the biblical principle of Imago Dei: the image of God imprinted on every human being:
So God created man in his own image,
Genesis 1:27
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
The first of these purposes, the suppression of slavery, was dear to Wilberforce’s heart as it witnessed image-bearing people treated worse than cattle. Wilberforce wanted to end a system built on violence and exploitation, defending the dignity of every human being. Christ died for people of every nation (Matthew 28:19-20). And if God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Genesis 12:30-31), then we must concern ourselves with the injustice others face. Indeed, as God spoke through the prophet Amos,
But let justice roll down like waters,
Amos 5:24
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
The Fruit of Genuine Discipleship
Intrinsically tied to Wilberforce’s work was his commitment to moral and spiritual renewal: growth in virtue, charity, honesty, compassion, and Christian character. He envisioned a society shaped by the Gospel. In his book, A Practical View of Christianity, he laid out his call to genuine Christian discipleship: “The peculiar doctrines of Christianity… are the source of all true holiness.”
In the course of his public life, he furthered missionary work, Bible distribution, educational and prison reform, charitable societies, and care for the poor. While opposing the formation of unions, he advocated for improved working conditions for textile workers and chimney sweeps. He supported the restriction of capital punishment. He also founded the world’s first animal welfare organization. Recognizing the importance of education in reducing poverty, he also contributed financially to efforts such as Sunday schools for the poor, founded by his fellow abolitionist, Hannah More, and her sister. His ultimate vision was that of a society transformed by the values of Christianity. Abolition of the slave trade was, for Wilberforce, an expression of Christian obedience rather than merely political idealism.
The Fight Against the Slave Trade
Wilberforce’s fight against the slave trade spanned the majority of two decades. He filed years of failed bills. He faced strong economic and political opposition, along with battling lifelong physical illness. However, Wilberforce never fought the battle alone. He had an ally in friend William Pitt, a Tory leader who was made Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 and served until 1801, then again from 1804 until his death in 1806. Pitt’s successor, William Grenville, also supported the effort. Additionally, Lord Charles Fox, a leader of the Whig Party, also joined the abolitionist fight.
On the public end of the fight were abolitionists such as Thomas Clarkson, whom Wilberforce met in 1787, along with Admiral Charles Middleton, scholar Granville Sharp, and playwright and philanthropist Hannah More, whom he met at the same gathering. Clarkson had been ordained a deacon in the Church of England before turning to public advocacy, founding the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Additionally, the Essaka-born freedman Olaudah Equiano founded the Sons of Africa, an abolitionist group of Africans living in Great Britain; he spoke widely on the horrors of slavery and the slave trade and detailed them in his best-selling biography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano.
The Clapham Sect
Very early in his journey to abolish the slave trade, he became acquainted with and a member of the Clapham Sect, which was made up of evangelical Anglicans based around Holy Trinity Church in Clapham, who sought to apply the Gospel to every area of life. The abolitionist Hannah More, whom he had met in 1787 alongside Clarkson, was part of this lively congregation. Over the years, this group also included his best friend and cousin Henry Thornton, clergymen John and Henry Venn, Charles Simeon, and William Dealtry; and Members of Parliament (in addition to Wilberforce) Edward James Eliot and William Smith.
Importantly, Wilberforce’s friend and fellow politician Thomas Babington was a member of the Clapham Sect and introduced William to Barbara Spooner, who would become his wife, in April, 1797. They married the next month, and had six children together.
The Payoff of Faithful Perseverance
The slave trade did not disappear at once. On May 12, 1789, Wilberforce first spoke on abolition in the House of Commons, calling slavery morally reprehensible. He used Clarkson’s mass of evidence to describe the appalling conditions in which enslaved people traveled from Africa. He brought forth twelve resolutions condemning the slave trade. With an hour-long speech, he introduced the first bill for abolishing the slave trade in 1791. It failed in a 163-88 vote. Two years later, another bill failed by only eight votes. The movement began to look promising, but it stalled completely during the war with France, though Wilberforce continued to propose bills in its favor.
Eventually, with the war with France ended and fears of radicalism having died down, the fight resumed in earnest in the early 18th century. In 1806, Wilberforce published A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade, compiling the two decades of evidence he and Clarkson had gathered. On February 23, 1807, the bill to abolish the slave trade passed 283 votes to 16. Many who had long fought for the cause never saw the day, including Pitt, Fox, and Equiano. Newton died just a few months after the abolition act passed.
Wilberforce continued to work to end slavery once and for all during the rest of his life. He retired from Parliament as his lifelong fragile health deteriorated further. However, he lived long enough to see the institution of slavery itself abolished throughout the British Empire in 1833. Wilberforce died on July 29, 1833, just days after learning the legislation would pass.
A Legacy of Faithful Vocation
William Wilberforce remained a faithful Anglican layman throughout the rest of his life, living out his gospel calling to reform society, never seeking religious office. His deep Christian spirituality perpetually fueled his public service.
Wilberforce reminds Christians even today that ordinary vocations can become extraordinary avenues for discipleship and work that reflect the Kingdom of God in our current age. While few may reshape the course of history as Wilberforce did, God calls every Christian to seek the Kingdom in every aspect of life entrusted to us. By following this call, Wilberforce’s legacy extends far beyond earthly political success; it was a picture of enduring faithfulness to Christ that continues to bear lasting fruit.
Image: Unfinished portrait of William Wilberforce by Thomas Lawrence (1828). Digitally edited by Jacob Davis.
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