View the film on January 27 at 7:00pm at First Church of the Nazarene, 3905 Clinton Road, Jackson, Michigan.

I saw the movie Amazing Grace when it came out in 2006, but I recently took the time to watch it again. I think that it is very important for us to remember the life of William Wilberforce, the man who led the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. This movie will introduce you to this great man whose faith compelled him to work for justice.

We’re living in a stressful time for American Christianity. To me if feels as though we are more fractured today that at any point during my life. Of course, that could simply be my impression. The ease of communication today may fuel our differences, or it may simply reveal differences that have always been of this magnitude. Either way, it is a great burden for us.

One of the battle grounds seems to be over the concept of social justice. In the Body of Christ we’re seeing a renewed emphasis on feeding the hungry, drilling wells for clean water in third world countries, fighting against child prostitution and the forced labor of children, and so many other expressions of the call Christ gave to us. At the same time, there are those who fear the concept of social justice. To them it smacks of social engineering and the redistribution of wealth apart from the values of Christianity. To some social justice is simply a distraction from the work of the gospel—saving souls. What I love about the story of William Wilberforce is that it is a presentation of what so many of us mean by social justice. God is a God of justice. There can be no denying that. The First and Second Testaments resound with the call of God’s people to work for justice. This is not a distraction from the gospel. It is part of the gospel. Wilberforce’s life is a testament to what it means to have a burning desired to be used by God to change this world.

My theological forebear, John Wesley, emphasized the fact that you cannot separate the personal nature of the gospel from the social calling. As he so famously put it, “The gospel of Christ knows no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.”

Watch Amazing Grace and allow the Lord to use it to call you to yearn for His justice in our world. You may also find it doing something else to you. It may cause a hunger for the kind of political leadership that William Wilberforce practiced. We may just get that kind of leadership if we all begin to realize that politics should not simply be the act of voting for and defending our own interests. Rather, it should be part of our overall Christian responsibility to “look to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). In that environment we may be able to recognize the next William Wilberforce. Perhaps it will be you.

In May I received my doctorate from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer gave the commencement address entitled, "There's A Crown Above Your Head." It was a very special day. Perhaps I was emotional because of the joy and relief of completing a goal that was important to me. But it was more than that. There was great power in Dr. Palmer's words. I wanted to share them with you.

You can hear the entire message at http://garrett.edu/index.php/videos. In the listing under "Commencement 2011," click on "Address by Bishop Gregory Palmer."

I’ve heard it said that there is a difference between a belief and a conviction. But what Andre Trocme had seemed to go deeper than either one. It was part of him—the essence of his Christian faith. Pastor Trocme believed in the dignity of all men, women and children. He believed that neglecting to do right was to do evil. And he was unswervingly committed to nonviolence. The result was that the village where he ministered in southern France, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, became a city of refuge for Jews during the Nazi occupation of France. This small village of three thousand saved five thousand Jews—particularly Jewish children—from 1940 to 1944. What is amazing is that not only did Pastor Trocme risk his life to save others, but he led a whole village to risk their lives as well.

At times Lest Innocent Blood reads like a World War II spy thriller, as when Trocme uses only his wits to escape the Gestapo in the train station. At times it reads like Bonhoeffer’s letters from prison when we learn how Trocme encouraged his fellow prisoners in the internment camp. But the huge impact of this book is to simply observe a pastor, congregation and village taking the ethic of the cross seriously. They were so immersed in their Christian faith that to love one another, to love the refugees, and to love their enemies simply seemed like the natural thing to do. And, to them, love was not something you felt. It was something you did.