Amazing Grace

There is a new movie out in the states called Amazing Grace, about the life of William Wilberforce, a English politician and committed Christian who worked tirelessly to abolish the slave trade. I have not seen it but all reviews are saying that its a great inspirational story of a man of faith and how his drive and commitment changed the world.

Concerned Christians and other NGO's are also using the film to highlight the problem of slavery today. Actually, there are more people enslaved today then there were during the height of the abhorrent slave trade of the 16th through the 19th century. There are over 30 million people today living as slaves. One million people become slaves each year, and 75% of them are women and children. Some are forced into manual labor, and others are trafficked around the world as sex slaves. They are kept in place by violence, fear, intimidation, and ignorance.

As Christians, people of love and grace, we should certainly be concerned about this global injustice. In fact, we should all be doing something about this horrible evil that is a great offense to our God of grace, truth, justice, love, and compassion. God calls us to bless others, to bring about his kingdom of justice and mercy, and to preach the gospel of his love. Slavery is a direct affront to all of these things. The magazine Christianity Today is particularly sounding the call to Christians to take action and fight this global problem.

There is a great article by Gary Haugen, president of IJM, about the problem and what can be done.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/16.40.html

There is also a good story about the general issues involved with modern day slavery.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/13.30.html

Stop the Traffic is a helpful website with some action points. You can sign a global declaration against human trafficking.
www.stopthetraffik.org

Also, Make Way Partners is a Christian ministry working against slavery in Sudan and Romania.
www.makewaypartners.org

Like William Wilberforce and a group of Christian abolotionists before, we too in our day can begin a work that can change the world, and free millions from physical and spiritual oppression.