If there’s one TV show Merryn and I can’t miss it’s The West Wing. We’ve come to the series late but are endeavouring to hire out the previous episodes. The writing and acting is brilliant, and opens a wide window to American politics.

In a recent episode, Arnold Vinick, the Republican presidential candidate, is sitting in the White House kitchen (of all places) eating ice cream with the incumbent (Democrat) President Jed Bartlett. Vinick has been publicly hounded over his poor church attendance and, momentarily forgetting their rivalry, confides in the President his spiritual doubts. ‘I used to go to church every Sunday,’ Vinick says, ‘then my wife bought me an old leather-bound King James Bible—and I read it.’ ‘Can you believe that the Bible has not one word to say against the evil of slavery?’ 

In actual fact, the Bible does have things to say about slavery. Every year, Jews around the world celebrate the Passover—in memory of God leading them out of Egyptian slavery. In the Old Testament slaves were to be released after six years, whether they’d paid their debt or not. Slaves in those days were well treated and often held positions of authority and trust, like looking after money and children. Vinick’s comment is popular but not the complete story.

In fact, this weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade. And interestingly enough, this abolition was accomplished by Christians who held the Bible as their inspiration.

William Wilberforce was elected to the British parliament at the age of 23 and after experiencing a dramatic Christian conversion a few years later, questioned whether he should remain in politics. He then met John Newton, a former slave ship captain (and author of the famous hymn ‘Amazing Grace’) who convinced him to stay in politics and combat slavery.

Over the next two decades Wilberforce fought tenaciously to bring slavery to an end. He collected evidence against the slave trade, introduced abolition legislation, and collected more than 390,000 signatures demanding it to cease. The work cost him his health and probably the opportunity of becoming Prime Minister. He was attacked in newspapers, physically assaulted, and forced to travel with a bodyguard because of death threats.

Finally, on the 23rd of February 1807, Wilberforce won. Slave trading became illegal. Wilberforce then fought for another twenty-five years for the freedom of all slaves, and won that fight in 1833. All up, his battle had taken forty-six years.

In June, the story of William Wilberforce will hit our cinema screens in a movie called Amazing Grace. The reviews are excellent, but the producers acknowledge they’ve minimised the motivation behind Wilberforce’s courageous work. Wilberforce sold his home to have more money to give to the needy. He fought for prison reform. He founded or participated in sixty charities. Just like his work to end slavery, each of these acts was motivated by his passionate Christian faith.

Wilberforce believed humans carry the image of God, and he couldn’t stand watching that image destroyed through abuse and slavery. It was a belief he got from Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Wilberforce’s actions led to abolition movements around the world. And all because of the Bible he read. I wish the writers of The West Wing knew that.