Culture

“Amazing Grace” Suppresses Wilberforce’s Christianity?

At OpinionJournal.com, Charlotte Allen suggests that the new movie about William Wilberforce suppresses his Christianity:

Alas, a lot of people watching “Amazing Grace,” Michael Apted’s just-released film, may get the impression–perhaps deliberately fostered by Mr. Apted–that Wilberforce was a mostly secular humanitarian whose main passion was not Christian faith but politics and social justice. Along the way, they may also get the impression that the hymn “Amazing Grace” is no more than an uplifting piece of music that sounds especially rousing on the bagpipes.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I certainly can’t have an opinion on this question. But I sure hope that Allen is wrong.

5 Comments

  • Don

    Denny, Don’t bet on that one. Hollyweird has a way of leaving faith out of it’s story lines. Faith is for those in Fly-over country not the left coast and elite east coast. DP-

  • Alex Chediak

    My wife and I just saw it, and I’m afraid that I agree with Allen. Yes, there are a few good lines, but overall the film does not make a strong connection between Wilberforce’s theology and his mission. Let’s just pray the movie has a gospel-propagating influence by virtue of people being drawn to the Wilberforce biography’s, such as the one John Piper wrote.

  • D. Taylor Benton

    I second Alex’s comments, I wish I could Herald this as great Christian testimony that truly displays historical facts of Wilberforce and his Christian influence in the British Empire, However I sadly have to agree with Alex and say that although it is a great alternative to the majority of movies, it does Wilberforce’s life an injustice in that it only portray’s one aspect and not all aspects (his faith being one of the most important).

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