{"id":2651908,"date":"2026-08-30T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T14:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/william-wilberforce-the-inspiration-christians-need-to-step-into-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T10:14:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T14:14:35","slug":"william-wilberforce-the-inspiration-christians-need-to-step-into-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/william-wilberforce-the-inspiration-christians-need-to-step-into-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"William Wilberforce: The Inspiration Christians Need to Step into Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwilliam-wilberforce-the-inspiration-christians-need-to-step-into-politics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2651908&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the challenges and frustrations of modern politics, highlighting issues such as dishonesty, hypocrisy, and divisive behavior. It questions whether Christians should withdraw from political engagement or actively participate to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/game-on-christian-studios-mission-quest-academy-combines-learning-and-fun\/\" title=\"Game On: Christian Studio&#039;s Mission Quest Academy Combines Learning and Fun\">promote biblical values<\/a>. The piece features William Wilberforce, a prominent Christian politician in 18th-19th century britain, who wrestled with similar dilemmas. Despite hesitations, Wilberforce chose to engage in politics, focusing on abolishing the slave trade and reforming societal morals, driven by his faith. His perseverance and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >faith-driven activism ultimately led<\/a> to the passing of the legislation abolishing slavery shortly before his death. The article underscores Wilberforce\u2019s example as a model for Christians today, emphasizing that faith calls believers to action in society rather than withdrawal. It also references a film about Wilberforce\u2019s life and includes reflections on the importance of integrating faith with societal reform, encouraging modern Christians to follow his example of courageous engagement.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Isn\u2019t politics the worst? The fighting, the lying, the hypocrisy. Some take a dark pleasure in it, how I imagine Romans watched the gladiator games. Brutal \u2026 but you can\u2019t look away.<\/p>\n<p>In politics, the stakes are high, and you feel a certain civic duty to do your part. Men died for your right to vote, to protect your freedoms, all the rest. But when you learn Anthony Fauci likely knew the COVID vaccine could cause miscarriages and kept mum, or when you realize we still don\u2019t have a border wall after all the hullaballoo, or when both parties criticize the spending of the other but our national debt tops $40 trillion, it\u2019s easy to get jaded, to throw your hands up and walk away.<\/p>\n<p>Even worse, the people who care deeply about politics are often not the cool kids, to say the least. Their tone is aggressive. They don\u2019t seem to have a sense of moderation or take the other side\u2019s perspective into account. They either rehearse tired talking points or launch into a 45-minute explanation for which you have neither the time, nor interest, to spare. Maybe it\u2019s the Baby Boomer who mocks the struggles of young people. Let them eat avocado toast! But isn\u2019t compassion a Christian value? Or it could be the young person spouting socialist economic theory, condescending and entitled, as those who have no money but teach others about it so often are.<\/p>\n<p>Who wants to argue with either of these political archetypes? How about the pink-haired lady with three trans daughters calling you a bigot? No thanks. And even if I do get involved, can I really defend my beliefs? Will talking politics hurt my Christian witness? Somebody else can handle it.<\/p>\n<p>This all raises the question: what is a modern Christian to do? And what does this have to do with William Wilberforce?<\/p>\n<p>Besides having a great name, Wilberforce left a great legacy, as you may be familiar. Wilberforce (1759-1833) had a promising career in Parliament, where he handily lambasted his opponents, working alongside his good friend, William Pitt, who would become a young prime minister of the U.K. The French writer, Madame de Sta\u00ebl, called Wilberforce \u201cthe wittiest man in England.\u201d An unforced nod from a Frenchman says a lot about his political skill and stature. But then Wilberforce converted to the Christian faith and immediately fell into a crisis. Should he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/234-years-ago-george-washington-became-americas-first-president\/\" title=\"234 Years Ago, George Washington Became America...s First President\">leave political life<\/a> for a \u201creligious\u201d life?<\/p>\n<p>For the \u201cOutstanding\u201d podcast, I interviewed Eric Metaxas, who wrote an <em>outstanding <\/em>biography of Wilberforce\u2019s life, the very book that inspired me in high school to emulate him. Metaxas documents Wilberforce\u2019s crisis. Can a freshly baptized Christian get in the muddy waters of politics?<\/p>\n<p>In fact, we know from copies of his correspondence that Wilberforce was leaning toward abdicating his influential position to retire to contemplative religious life. His friend William Pitt is alarmed by the prospect of losing his politically gifted friend to a life of prayer. Pitt presses Wilberforce to reconsider and puts a question before his friend that we would do well to consider:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c\u2026 [F]orgive me if I cannot help expressing my fear that you are nevertheless deluding yourself into principles which have but too much tendency to counteract your own object, and to render your virtues and your talents useless both to yourself and mankind\u2026 why then this preparation of solitude, which can hardly avoid tincturing the mind either with melancholy or superstition? If a Christian may act in the several relations of life, must he seclude himself from them all to become so? Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple, and lead not to meditation only but to action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Not only meditation, but action.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Maybe it was Pitt\u2019s urging, or the Lord\u2019s leading. Maybe it was a combination of both, but Wilberforce returned to his political career, which we now know was a political calling. However, Wilberforce returned to politics with two conditions. Committing to work for God, not men, Wilberforce famously devoted himself to two great objects:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The abolition of the slave trade.<\/li>\n<li>The reformation of manners.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In his second goal\u2019s language, \u201cthe reformation of manners,\u201d our favorite English abolitionist meant a reformation of the morals and reduction of the vices that had gripped English society. Sound familiar? Wilberforce\u2019s first goal is straightforward, and after a lifetime devoted to it, Wilberforce succeed. In a historical fact that seems drawn up by Hollywood but must actually be a flashy sign of God\u2019s providence, Wilberforce died on July 29, 1833, just three days after hearing that the Slavery Abolition Bill passed its third reading in parliament, essentially guaranteeing its passage, after decades of advocacy.<\/p>\n<p>Wilberforce, the great abolitionist, is a model of Christian reformation of society. I don\u2019t want to pretend he was perfect or all his politics map perfectly onto a biblical worldview, let alone one that corresponds to our modern issues. However, for our purposes, it\u2019s worth noting that Wilberforce felt the same hesitancy about engaging the political system \u2014 yet his faith called him to push into the fray, not withdraw from it.<\/p>\n<p>I recommend the 2006 movie about Wilberforce\u2019s life, \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d The film includes a scene that conveys his struggle well:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cDear God, I know this is utterly absurd but I have to meet you in secret,\u201d <\/em>Wilberforce says as he lays in the grass a stone\u2019s throw from his stately home.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, he is interrupted by one of his servants, which creates a bit of awkwardness. Men of his position aren\u2019t typically found lying on the ground like this.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIt\u2019s God,\u201d <\/em>he explains to the unsure servant.<em> \u201cI have ten thousand engagements of state today, but I would prefer to spend the day out here\u2026 studying dandelions and marveling at\u2026 spiders\u2019 webs.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cYou found God sir?\u201d <\/em>the servant replies.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI think He found me. Do you have any idea how inconvenient that is, how idiotic it will sound? I have a political career glittering ahead of me, and in my heart I want \u2026 spiders\u2019 webs?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There are of course some artistic liberties taken in the movie, but Wilberforce\u2019s crisis was real. He was no botanist. The simple beauties of nature become a wind of prayer that carries away the heart intent on communing with God. To most, even many Christians, this is foolishness. Spider webs? But I can relate. I prefer the prayer walk to strolling the halls of power. It reminds me of the 1856 poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cEarth\u2019s crammed with heaven,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> And every common bush afire with God, <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> But only he who sees takes off his shoes; <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Wilberforce\u2019s birthday is Monday, August 24. This beloved Brit would have been 267 years old, just a few years older than our nation. If he could blow out all those candles (I doubt it) and make a wish, what would he wish for? No one knows for certain, but I like to think at the top of his list, even in the great cloud of witnesses now, is that other believers, like him, would take up the grimy, unglamorous, unpopular work of engaging in politics, in political reformation, not for man\u2019s purposes but for the Kingdom of God.<\/p>\n<p>Or as my new friend Eric Metaxas, with his characteristic wit, put it on our podcast when discussing Wilberforce:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t know those stories and then live like a cowardly bum for your self-interest. If you encounter these stories honestly, most people are changed [by] these lives. These people who gave the last full measure of devotion. People say, \u2018I want to be like that.\u2019 Wow. That\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat a hero.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Casey Harper is managing editor for broadcast for The Washington Stand and host of the Outstanding podcast.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The conflicts, dishonesty, and hypocrisy can be overwhelming. Some find a strange thrill in it, much like Romans watching gladiator fights-brutal yet irresistible. With high stakes and a sense of civic duty, we feel compelled to participate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2651909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1960.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[64657,84882,84881,84883,84880],"class_list":["post-2651908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christian-activism","tag-historical-leaders","tag-political-inspiration","tag-social-reform","tag-william-wilberforce"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1960.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2651908"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2651913,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651908\/revisions\/2651913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2651909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2651908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2651908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2651908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}