Required Reading: Creating a Better Hour

I recently began reading "Creating the Better Hour: Lessons from William Wilberforce" (Stroud & Hall Publishers) and am finding it "required reading" for movement builders. Wilberforce exhibited a wonderful balance between "passionate commitment to Jesus Christ and to the peculiar doctrines of Christianity" and "compassionate commitment to correcting the major injustices of his generation." As I’ve been reading thru this edited work, I’m finding application after application to our task of building movements everywhere. I’ll probably dedicate numerous posts to my reflections, but I wanted to put up a quick recommendation.

The book opens with a tribute to Wilberforce, written by his friend and contemporary, the poet William Cowper (1731-1800).

Thy country, Wilberforce, with just disdain,

Hears thee, by cruel men and impious, call’d

Fanatic, for thy zeal to loose th’ enthrall’d

From exile, public sale, and slav’ry’s chain.

Friend of the poor, the wrong’d, the fetter-gall’d,

Fear not lest labour such as thine be vain!

Thou hast achiev’d a part; hast gain’d the ear

Of Britain’s senate to thy glorious cause;

Hope smiles, joy springs, and tho’ cold caution pause

And weave delay, the better hour is near,

That shall remunerate thy toils severe

By peace for Afric, fenc’d with British laws.

Enjoy what thou hast won, esteem and love

From all the just on earth, and all the blest above!

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