A report by movie pundits indicates that the movie, “Amazing Grace” is continuing to have a strong showing in American and English theaters. According to a movie spokesman, the film has garnered about $16 million from ticket sales in America, as of last week.

I’ve had the honor to see the film, which follows the struggle of William Wilberforce to abolish slavery during the 19th century. Dozens of times he presented bills before parliament to ban the evil. And dozens of times he was outmaneuvered by those powerful interests which had developed around the capturing and selling of human beings for profit. The film makes clear, without being too preachy, that Wilberforce was driven by his Christian faith to press those around him to confront the evil.

In fact, early in the film Wilberforce is shown struggling with the question of whether his profound and fresh faith would take him out of politics; whether it would not be preferable to spend his time in prayer, praise and contemplation of the Gospel. A good friend, John Newton, challenges him to use his faith as his sword and shield in the battle for God’s creatures. (Newton, a former slave trader, was haunted throughout his life by the images of those people he helped trade and even kill; his enduring legacy to the Faith is the great anthem, Amazing Grace.)

It was difficult to watch the film without seeing over-powering analogies with our current battle against abortion.

There is a scene, for example, when Wilberforce has a group of well-to-do Londoners aboard a ship for a nice evening of music, dinner and fundraising to help finance his campaign. After the group has well supped, the boat pauses in front of a slave ship moored at the dock. Wilberforce shows his guests the chains and blood stains seeped into the wood; the stench from the cargo hold is overpowering, even at a distance.

It reminded me of any number of our fundraising events, where the social pleasantries are rudely interrupted to talk with our friends about the gruesome business of children being mawed to death by an insatiable Abortion Industry.

I don’t want to spoil any more of the film for those who haven’t had a chance to see it. But I certainly want to encourage our readers to take the time to soak-up a powerful story of God’s mighty grace and how He used a relatively small band of warriors to intervene in human affairs for the purpose of establishing justice.

- David Ripley

Labels: Amazing grace