The story of William Wilberforce is hitting the big screen this Friday. I will be one paying the money to see the cinematic representation of this story, for it is a great story. If you haven't heard his story, take a read here.

I don't want to into Wilberforce's life here, however, I do want to ask the question, "what does the life like Wilberforce's challenge us to do today?"

I believe it is easy for Western Christians to not see the oppression present in our time because we are so removed from it. However, just as there were horrible things such as slavery in Wilberforce's time, there unspeakable acts of oppression and evil in ours.

I think of slave/prostitution rings in Cambodia, or the urban slaves of Haiti. There are countless examples in third world countries of groups of people being oppressed by systemic evil. What is our role today in the face of these evils?

In evangelical circles we have been really good at taking a stance against personal sin. Reminding ourselves and others that God will free us from the oppression of sin, by forgiving us. Yet, we have many times forgotten that Christ died to free the "world" from sin, not just the person. The "good news" speaks to both personal sin and systemic. In what ways can we recapture the spirit of men lik e Wilberforce?

Labels: Christian action, oppression, sin, Wilberforce