Amazing Grace

I watched the movie Amazing Grace recently.  Although it seems a little slow at times, the movie is definitely something that is worth watching.  I have to admit that I did not know very much about William Wilberforce before watching the movie, or even about that time period when England was addressing the issue of the slave trade in Parliament (even though I was a history major in college).  It is amazing what can be accomplished through persistence and patience.  I would encourage everyone to watch the movie.  Wilberforce (as portrayed in the movie - I do not know how accurate it is) was a quirky yet humble man who stood by his convictions even when it seemed he was standing alone.  It does take the amazing grace of God to be able to stand alone against injustices, and to stay in a political environment that was less than welcoming of him.  The movie is a good lesson in British history (I learned that Wm. Pitt was the youngest prime minister, another fact that I probably should have known before this time), but also a great story about how God calls us to different roles, and expects us to obey even when we feel like we are standing alone.  I think that one of the things that impressed me the most about this movie was that it was inspirational without being "everything will turn out ok in the end."  Although there is a "happy ending," the movie in some ways wasn't leading to that point.  I would suggest that everyone see the movie since so little is known about the slave trade, or how it came to be abolished.  It took some creative politics to end one of the most inhumane practices that was accepted without question by so much of society.