God's Politician [Paperback]

Garth Lean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1987

A faith that changed history: this is the story of William Wilberforce's struggle to abolish the Slave Trade and reform the morals of Great Britain. In God's Politician, Garth Lean provides an insightful and stirring account of how Wilberforce and his colleagues in the "Clapham circle" put their faith into action and changed the course of history. Their legacy was one of far-reaching moral renewal as well as testimony to the power of the individual to effect change in his world. Foreword by Charles W. Colson

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Helmers & Howard Publishers (June 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939443031
• ISBN-13: 978-0939443031
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Man Worth Knowing About, November 5, 2001

By 

David A. Vosseller "davhoops" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God's Politician (Paperback)

I want to highly recommend the biography of one of my heroes of the faith, William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was an English citizen who in 1781 was elected to Parliament at the age of 21. While a Member of Parliament, he was converted to Christianity at the age of 24. Curious about whether he should remain in government now that he had come to Christ, he consulted with John Newton. Newton's reply to his question was, "The Lord has raised you up for the good of his church and for the good of the nation".
Wilberforce followed Newton's counsel, and over the next 18 months, formulated his goals: "God Almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners" (manners meaning the morals). As Lean writes, "The two were, of course, intimately related. On the one hand, it would take a profound moral reformation in leaders and people to obtain the suppression of the slave trade; on the other, only an unselfish battle like the abolition of the Trade would demonstrate to God and the world that such a moral reformation was genuine." (p. 47).
Wilberforce's goals of spiritual revival and the abolishing of the slave trade would not come easy. His bills against the slave trade were continually defeated, and his character was assaulted frequently by his opponents. Throughout the many battles he and his friends faced, Wilberforce remained committed both to the cause and to prayer for the cause, yet Wilberforce was also gracious and gentle towards his opponents. After many years and many defeats, in 1807, the bill abolishing the slave trade was finally passed!
Wilberforce also wrote a book called, Practical Christianity (1797) which God used to help convict many people in England of their sin and their need for Christ. Wilbeforce's book helped to bring about the "reformation of manners" that he sought in the form of the Second Great Awakening. This book was on the bestseller list in England for nearly 50 years!
I recommend Lean's biography on Wilberforce, both as an encouraging model of a Christian leader, and as a model for how societal change can occur through prayer and through Christian revival in society. Wilberforce saw that politics couldn't change society, but he knew that society could change politics. May we learn from his example!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to a forgotten hero, December 28, 2000

By 

Fred M. Blum - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Politician (Paperback)

Lean's story of William Wilberforce is a good introduction to a forgotten hero. A man who was raised with privilege and who was friends with the power brokers of Britain, staked his political career, as well as many friendships on the ending the slave trade and bringing morality into the political life of his country.

Although the book is not an extensive study, it does succinctly tell the tale of the end of the British slave trade. While the book discussed Wilberforce' conversion, it is not preachy, and seeks to discuss the conversion within the political context. This book is a fine edition to an understanding of the slave trade and its end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What happens when Politics are purified, May 6, 2006

By 

C. Anderson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God's Politician (Paperback)

Read and enjoy the life of a man who changed history. What would happen if you took the most powerful and talented politician, in the most powerful nation in the world, at a crucial time in European colonial history...and let him have a conversion experience that turned his worldview upside down? That's what happened with Wilberforce and it makes wonderful reading.

The story of the fight against slave trade that started in his mid-twenties and ended on his death bed is dramatic. And the story of a life thoroughly transformed by the influence of Jesus should prick sharply on any Western conscience.