12 Characteristics

I returned from a youth retreat yesterday to find that my wife had bought me the book “William Wilberforce: Greatest Works,” edited by Lloyd B. Hildebrand and published by Bridge-Logos.

In a chapter on the Clapham Group, Hildebrand notes a dozen characteristics of this group that accomplished so much in the abolition of legalized slavery in the 1800s:

They set clear and specific goals

They researched carefully to produce reliable and irrefutable evidence

They built a committed support community. The battle could not be carried on alone

They refused to accept setbacks as final defeats

They committed to the struggle for the long haul, even if it took decades

They focused on issues, not allowing opponents’ vicious attacks on their person to distract them or provoke them into similar response

They empathized with opponents’ position so that meaningful interaction could take place

They accepted incremental gains when everything could not be achieved at once

They cultivated grassroots support when rebuffed by those in power

They transcended single-issue mentality by addressing issues as part of [the] overall moral climate

They worked through recognized channels without resort[ing] to dirty tactics or violence

They proceeded with a sense of mission and conviction that God would providentially guide if they were truly acting in His service.

I don’t know if they had the wisdom to incorporate these characteristics right
from the start, or if the characteristics came from lessons learned in the public square, or if the group simply stumbled upon them as they went, but they certainly are the kinds of characteristics that can help win the day. May our group, and all modern-day abolitionists, develop these characteristics as we fight this battle.

Greater than the sum of its parts

We haven’t yet held the first meeting of the Carolina Clapham Circle, but already I’m excited about the skills and experience of people who have expressed interest in attending. We have someone who works with women who have been freed from brothels in Asia, someone who is part of a group providing safe houses for people who have been rescued, someone who works for a large missions organization, a pastor’s wife, and on it goes—and God has brought us to a point where we are about to join forces to fight slavery.

If you know the basics about the original Clapham Sect in England, you know that William Wilberforce was one member. But the group included other amazingly talented people that might not be so well known to us today, such as Granville Sharp, Henry Thornton and Hannah More.

So as I look forward to what the Carolina Clapham Circle might decide to do in fighting modern-day slavery, I can’t wait to see how God has brought together like-minded people with all kinds of abilities, contacts and experience, to do what none of us could do on our own.