MP Thomas SDB
Bosco B.Ed College Dimapur
8. Opposition to Wilberforce
Like all reformers who challenge the existing order, Wilberforce came in for attack and abuse, slander and calumny. Even the King, who initially was with him, turned against him, declaring him to be a hypocrite! The attacks and abuse came in and out of parliament. But he never reacted violently though he was master of sarcasm and his facility with words and turn of phrases could shame his enemy forever, if he wanted! What helped him to be serene was commitment and the discipline of his life. He sought to discipline tongue, tastes, and thoughts equally. He knew the value of the first hours of the day. Before the mind is heated and weary of the turmoil of the day, “you have a season of unusual importance for communing with God and with yourself.” He recommended such times of reflection to many. He said: “I have always found that I have the most time for business, and it is best done, when I have most properly observed my private devotions.” He believed in a Providence which intervened in both personal and national affairs. Reliance, through good and ill, on a wise God lay at the root of Wilberforce’s serenity. He did all that he could and then left the result in God’s hands.
Pressures of modern life and above all life in politics may be greater now. But he himself survived fifty years of exceptionally busy public life, in spite of his ill health, impaired eyesight, and the steel brace he secretly wore to support his tiny frame. It was clear that he had found the secret which has escaped equally busy leaders.
9. His Support Group
Another reason for his persistence and success in his campaigns was that he never worked alone. He was sustained by a group of friends who gathered around him. This included William Pitt, who became Prime Minister. It began as an informal group of friends drawn together by shared views and a common aim. In the course of their campaigns, they formed a sort of community whose members often stayed together in a house he owned in Clapham, where they could discuss and plan together. It became known as the Clapham Community. They went so far as accepting corrections and correcting each other, helping each other to do politics as true Christians. They refused to pay bribes for votes and agreed before voting to look to the facts and not to the wishes of the minister. Their principle in parliament before voting was: “Is it morally right?” Further, Wilberforce had resolved ‘never to use his friends’ votes to bribe or coerce the government.’
10. His Efforts at Helping Individuals to Grow
He was not one who was interested only in causes and campaigns. He also wanted to help people to grow as humans and as believers. One of his concerns at the beginning of his committed Christian life was whether to preserve his gaiety and cheerfulness or not, fearing that these would dilute serious commitment. His problem was solved by another of his advisers, who said: “You are serving God by making yourself agreeable to worldly but well-disposed people who would never be attracted by grave and severe divines!” In fact, many were surprised that the company of a man of his principles was so eagerly sought after. According to perceptive observers, his secret lay in his being so crystal clear and unself-conscious about his principles. “Being free from worry about himself, he was free to think of others.” He had the ability to oppose even his friends on principle and yet keep their friendship.
11. Politics: an honourable profession for honest men!
When Wilberforce began his campaign, there were just three in parliament who were identified as practicing Christians. After fifty years, the number increased to a hundred! Their presence did much to transform parliament from a group mainly concerned with the interests of its members to an assembly responsible for the public good. The public, which had earlier held politicians in contempt, now expected them to higher standards, and eventually, politics began to be seen as an “honorable profession for honest men.”
12. Marriage & Family
Being preoccupied with his campaigns, marriage and family life took a backseat in his scheme of things. It was only at the age of 38 that he got married to Barbara Spooner. His marriage and family life itself became an example for many, showing how marriage and politics can go well. His age and ill-health induced him to resign his membership of Parliament in 1825.
13. A Life Totally at the Service of God & Man
He was offered and refused a peerage, which he felt was too much. He believed that getting younger members into the House of Commons would be much better. At the end, he was able to write to one of his friends: “I rejoice to think that I am not wanted.” He died in 1833. His biographer concludes thus: Wilberforce lived that higher statesmanship which consists in serving not his own interest but his God’s.
14. A Similar Modern Politician: Jimmy Carter
On 29th December 2025, there came the news of the death of Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America from 1977-82. He took charge when the country was in a mess with the lingering scars of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Arab Oil embargo, etc. His two immediate predecessors were Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, and it was known that Johnson had lied about Vietnam and Nixon had lied about ‘Pretty much everything.’ Carter, a Sunday school teacher, arrived on the scene and promised that “he would never knowingly lie to the American people.” It is widely acknowledged that he kept his promise. He too could be termed a ‘God’s politician’ of the modern era. His conversion began earlier when he was with a colleague doing Gospel work. Enquiring about the secret of this colleague’s extraordinary success, he was told: “The secret is to have two loves: one for God and the other for whoever happens to be standing in front of you at any given time.” Carter sought to live and govern according to that principle!
15. Our State and Our Challenge
Does our country lack such politicians who can be termed ‘God’s Politicians’? Certainly not. What about our state? It cannot be doubted that we too have, and have had, such leaders. Let us look at the past, which is easier to judge more fairly. It would be helpful if the elders among us could bring before our minds figures of the past who strove to be such. This could be an encouragement for the present leaders as well as those in our society who are making valiant efforts to promote such leaders. Here, there comes to mind the Clean Election Campaign, which if restarted, could unite so many other like-minded individuals and groups. The letters to the editor and articles in newspapers by concerned individuals, appeals by pastors and others before every election, point to the earnest desire of so many to see a different kind of politics. We cannot hope for changes overnight. Wilberforce and companions took twenty years or more. Is it too much to expect a similar transformation in due time in our Christian state? It is easy to complain about corruption and bad governance, but do we actively support honest leaders? Each of us must ask: what role do I play in shaping the leadership of my society?
This is the last of a two-part series.
