Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce
by John Piper
List Price:
Our Price: $3.74
You Save: $4.25 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: John PiperForeword: Jonathan Aitken
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-09
ISBN: 1581348754
Number of pages: 80
Publisher: Crossway Books
Book Reviews of Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce
Book Review: A Must Read for Today's Generation of Christians and Politicians
Summary: 5 Stars
In just over 50 pages, John Piper gives a biographical study of William Wilberforce's life that I believe reveals the true heart behind the member of Parliament who fought for 46 years (1787-1833) to abolish the slave trade and then slavery in the British Empire. Piper shows us not only what he accomplished during his remarkable life, but seeks to go "behind the scenes" to what drove the man: A steadfast joy in God rooted in the Gospel. John Piper quotes often from Wilberforce's own book, A Practical View of Christianity, to give motives behind the actions. Piper reveals the the true Wilberforce, a view that you likely won't get from textbooks and that will be minimized in secular biographies. The great turning point for William Wilberforce was when God saved him as a young self-centered member of Parliament in 1785; that same grace that saved him sustained him and drove him toward incredible perseverance and accomplishment in many varied causes of social good.
This book is needed today. Toward making Christianity practical and relevant to today's culture and today's needs, many are quickly moving to jettison doctrine and even truth. Seeing so many professing Christians do so little to help the poor, sick, the voiceless in the world (an inexcusable omission that the Church must work to remedy), many say that we need a more Christian morals and less Christian doctrine. Here's what Wilberforce would have to say to that:
"From the neglect of these peculiar doctrines (human depravity, divine judgment, justification by faith alone, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and the practical necessity of fruit and devotion to good deeds - p. 22) arise the main practical errors of the bulk of professed Christians. These gigantic truths retained in view would put to shame the littleness of their dwarfish morality." (p. 71)
"It is a fatal habit to consider Christian morals as distinct from Christian doctrines." p. 72
Wilberforce took on a large number of initiatives for social good, but behind them all he realized that if one is to have a lasting influence for good he must deal with the root of the problems. Therefore, he attacked sin in himself and his nation not first and foremost as a societal problem. He commented that most of the Christians in England estimated the guilt of an action "not by the proportion in which, according to scripture, [actions] are offensive to God, but by that in which they are injurious to society" (p. 23). Likewise, the greatest good in his aims was the salvation of souls, not just the meeting of needs and the application of justice here on earth.
William Wilberforce accomplished many social goods, it could be argued that in human history he was one of those who accomplished most. He is one that we should all look to in order to emulate him in his diligence, his joy in God, his love, and his doctrine.
I pray that those, like me, who are dissatisfied with the inactivity of the church against the social ills of today would read this book. There are many liberal "Christians" with a sin-minimizing, self-glorifying, truth-questioning, doctrine-denying "gospel" promising a better morality, a better Christianity. Don't buy the lies. Run to the God of Wilberforce, learn the doctrines that drove him because then and only then will you make a lasting difference. Wilberforce says it well:
"The fatal habit of considering Christian morals as distinct from Christian doctrines insensibly gained strength. Thus the peculiar doctrines of Christianity went more and more out of sight, and as might naturally have been expected, the moral system itself also began to wither and decay, being robbed of that which should have supplied it with life and nutriment. (p. 8)
[...]
Summary of Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce
"John Piper's succinct and superbly perceptive study of WilliamWilberforce deserves to become an acclaimed bestseller. It not onlytells the story of a great man's life-it also tells us how tounderstand the ultimate source of his greatness and happiness.Moreover, that understanding goes far deeper than the abolitionistachievements for which Wilberforce is honored, astounding thoughthey were. William Wilberforce's secret, as revealed in this book,was that he made the journey from self-centeredness,achievement-centeredness, and political-centeredness toGod-centeredness. And he made it with Christlike joy."
-Jonathan Aitken
Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelicalChristian and a member of Parliament, fought for the abolition ofthe African slave trade and against slavery itself until they wereboth illegal in the British Empire.
Many are aware of Wilberforce's role in bringing an end toslavery in Great Britain, but few have taken the time to examinethe beliefs and motivations that spurred him on for decades. Inthis concise volume, John Piper tells the story of how Wilberforcewas transformed from an unbelieving, young politician into aradically God-centered Christian, and how his deep spiritualityhelped to change the moral outlook of a nation.
As world leaders debate over how to deal with a host of socialjustice and humanitarian crises, a closer look at Wilberforce'slife and faith serves as an encouragement and example to allbelievers.
Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Alexander Hamiltonby Ron Chernow
Penguin Audio; Published: 2004-04-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $134.40
America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction (Penguin Classics)by John Steinbeck
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-04-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops:
Sailing Alone around the World (Penguin Classics)by Joshua Slocum
Penguin Classics; Published: 1999-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sistersby Charlotte Mosley
Harper; Published: 2007-11-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops:
Profiles in Courage (slipcased edition): Decisive Moments in the Lives of Celebrated Americansby John F. Kennedy
Harper; Published: 2006-10-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Lost Years: A Memoir 1945 - 1951by Christopher Isherwood
HarperCollins; Published: 2000-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops:
Thomas Jefferson: A Lifeby Willard Sterne Randall
Harper Perennial; Published: 1994-06-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.06
Price in other shops:
The Professor and the Madmanby Simon Winchester
Harper; Published: 1998-08-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Patton: A Genius for Warby Carlo D'Este, este, Carlo D'
Harpercollins; Published: 1995-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $49.95
Stonewall Jacksonby James Robertson
Macmillan Pub.; Published: 1997-02-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $48.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Age of Nationalism and Reform, 1850-1890 (Second Edition) (The Norton History of Modern Europe)by Norman Rich
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1976-10-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.00
The Revolutionary Era, 1789-1850 (The Norton History of Modern Europe)by Charles Breunig, Matthew Levinger
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2002-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $30.75
In the Land of the Jaguar: South America and Its Peopleby Gena K. Gorrell
Tundra Books; Published: 2007-09-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.05
Price in other shops:
The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, 5th Editionby James W. Sire
IVP Academic; Published: 2009-10-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.18
Price in other shops:
The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneersby Tom Standage
Walker & Company; Published: 2007-09-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.45
Price in other shops:
The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldierby Jakob Walter
Penguin Books; Published: 1993-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
A Journey Through The Life of William Wilberforceby Kevin Belmonte
New Leaf Publishing Group; Published: 2007-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.45
Price in other shops:
Adoniram Judson: Danger On The Streets... (Trailblazers)by Irene Howat
CF4K; Published: 1969-12-31; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.35
Price in other shops:
The Early American Republic, 1789-1829by Paul E. Johnson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2006-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.00
Price in other shops:
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slaveryby Eric Metaxas
HarperOne; Published: 2007-11-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops: