Amazing Grace – the movie
Yesterday, Gail and I and a few friends went to see the movie, Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace is the story of William Wilberforce and his effort to have the slave trade outlawed in England. First; the movie is well done, well acted and engages from the very beginning. It tells a good story. The characters are not superficial and the story is paced in such a way that even though you know that Wilberforce was ultimately successful in getting the British Parliment to outlaw the slave trade you still watch the drama of the story unfold. Ioan Gruffudd is outstanding as William Wilberforce (you may recognize him as Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four movie). Albert Finney plays the aging John Newton (former slave trader and author of the hymn Amazing Grace). The scenes between Wilberforce and Newton are some of the best acted in the film. It gets a very respectable 69% on Rotten Tomato
It is a good movie, in fact at times it is a great movie. It is also a great movie for Christians. A significant part my reasoning here has to do with the object lesson that William Wilberforce’s life is for us here and now. He is a brilliant study in patience, perseverance and graciousness under very difficult circumstances. He lived out his Christian faith in a way that was radical, but not hostile. He allowed his heart to be broken by the slave trade, yet he remained a humble and gentle man. He built alliances with others for greater purposes. He remained a man of principal and compassion throughout his entire life. He demonstrated in his life and work it is possible to be a radically committed follower of Jesus and still be a person who could engage the world around him, befriend even his foes and maintain integrity, even a sense of humor. Go immediately and see it! I’m not kidding. If you would like to learn a little more about William Wilberforce click here