International Ministries (IM) of the American Baptist Churches USA has joined with many Christian groups and other organizations and governments to hail the power of Christian faith and political activism led to the historic vote in British parliament to abolish the slave trade 200 years ago today.
"The abolition of the slave trade in Britain, through the Christian faith of the lesser known, but incredibly valuable Thomas Clarkson, and the more well-known William Wilberforce, working along side others of political goodwill is a testimony to the reality of the good news of Jesus Christ, which not only saves the soul, but really does set the captives free," said Dr. Reid Trulson, executive director of IM. "It is ironic that while Clarkson, Wilberforce and many others struggled valiantly for over 20 years to end the slave trade," said Trulson, "that in one of those areas under Britain's rule -- Jamaica -- a Baptist preacher of African-descent, George Liele, allowed himself to be sold back into slavery, after gaining his freedom, to preach Jesus Christ in what was then known as the British West Indies."
After his Christian conversion in 1785 and his introduction, through Clarkson's work, to the slave-trade issue in 1787, Wilberforce actively opposed the trade, introducing bills for its abolition in parliament from 1791 until 1807.
In September 1806 Wilberforce wrote A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade, an apologetic essay in which he summarised the huge volume of evidence against the trade that Clarkson and others had accumulated over two decades. It was published on Jan. 31, 1807, and formed the basis for the final phase of the abolition campaign.
Trulson quickly pointed out that reflection and celebration on the historic moment 200 years ago, can only be balanced with the reality that slavery is still all too real in many parts of the world. He noted the recent book by David Batstone, Not for Sale -- the return of the global slave trade -- and how we can fight it. The book reports, according to a 2001 U.S. Department of Justice and University of Pennsylvania study, more than 200,000 persons are already enslaved in the U.S., with nearly 17,500 persons trafficked into the country annually, to work in prostitution, sweat shops, hotels, farms and as domestic servants.
Millions have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands have been shackled in various forms of slavery -- known today as human trafficking -- from refugees of wars in Sudan, to female victims of religious rites in Ghana, to the scores of thousands of mainly women and children forced into prostitution in places such as eastern Europe, India and Thailand.
"We have a very difficult struggle in front of us. Ending modern human trafficking in our time will take as much faith, courage and persistence as Clarkson, Wilberforce and other Christians had 200 years ago," said Trulson.
IM addresses the issue of human trafficking in many ways, including the work of global consultant Lauran Bethell (recipient of the 2005 Baptist World Alliance human rights award), missionaries Kit Ripley and Karen Smith (serving at the New Life Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand) and Annie and Jeff Dieselberg (at NightLight Design Company, Ltd., in Bangkok, Thailand where those who leave slavery find alternative employment). The IM website contains links to other missionaries at work on this issue, as well as resources for action and further study.
International Ministries (IM) is a Baptist mission agency, established in 1814, which serves the more than 5,800 churches of the American Baptist Churches USA.
Globally, IM relates to more than 500 educational institutions and 125 hospitals and medical facilities. Missionaries work in partnership with some 15,000 trained national workers, who serve about 22,000 congregations and nearly 3,000,000 baptized members.