Amazing Grace

For those of you who were in worship yesterday, you heard me refer to the movie Amazing Grace. I strongly recommend you see this movie. It is a powerful portrayal of William Wilberforce’s role in abolishing slavery in England.

If my recommendation does not convince you to see the movie, then I encourage you to click here and watch the movie trailer.

When you watch the movie, the pastor Wilberforce visits is John Newton. As you know, Newton is the slave trader who was converted on the high seas, and who later wrote the great hymn “Amazing Grace”.

There are many memorable moments in the movie. You must listen closely to appreciate some of the humorous moments. Perhaps the most emotional part of the movie is at the end when John Newton attends the session where parliament abolishes slavery. His blind eyes are filled with tears as the British leaders cast their votes. That is followed by a powerful presentation of the hymn, starting with bagpipes and ending with a full instrumental piece.

Again, I would not attend the movie for entertainment purposes. And, there are moments you must certainly concentrate in order to keep up with the timeline. However, I do recommend the movie to each of you.

Christianity Today provides a great accounting of Wilberforce’s life. Click here to read the article.

By the way, the Reformed Reader has a great piece on John Newton. Click here to read more about his story.

Again, I highly recommend the movie Amazing Grace. If anything, it will cause you to give thanks for your salvation through Jesus Christ. It may also inspire you to give thanks for men like Newton, Clarkson and Wilberforce who literally changed the history of mankind because of their convictions.