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As an African-American, I am thankful that I can look at the candid facts of history and see that there were indeed white men and women who labored to eradicate such a monstrous evil that was fueled by greed, racism, and hatred.

I feel inspired to help others because I too, like Wilberforce, have many health problems, and now I realize God can use us no matter what our physical handicaps. Thank you for your openness to exposing our common Christian history and showing us how we can be about God's work despite our flaws and sins.

Curtis Evans
South Hamilton, Massachusetts

We are always delighted to receive Christian History, but I do want to take issue with you about your recent issue. Wilberforce has always received the greatest honor, as though he had singlehandedly caused the slave trade to cease. Your articles mention Thomas Clarkson only once, and then in a quite dismissive way, but his role seems to have been quite decisive. Clarkson was the really indefatigable antislavery abolitionist who was the power behind Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the public face, but the hard work was done by Clarkson, and it is time that he received his due.

Bill Cotton, librarian
Moorlands College,
Dorset, England

No argument: Clarkson certainly deserves more credit than we had space to give him (though also see p. 26).—Mark Galli

I was horrified and angered when I read of John Newton's account of the sailor on the slave ship "who threw a child overboard because it moaned at night in its mother's arms and kept him awake" (p. 22). How many millions of "inconvenient" children have been thrown "overboard" by the abortion industry? Where are the men in positions of authority and influence who will devote their lives to the abolition of abortion and toward the reformation of what Wilberforce called "manners" (i.e., morality) (p. 16)? Perhaps the next generation will be reading about that person in Christian History in the next century.

Mark Tankersley
Statesville, North Carolina

While in England several years ago I met a young Anglican priest from Uganda whose name was Michael Wilberforce Serumkuma. I asked him about his name, and he told me that it is not unusual for parents to use Wilberforce as a name even now, in the twentieth century. What a great Christian legacy.

Ken Calvert
Hillsdale, Michigan

I am an African-American born-again Christian who happens to be a journalist and black historian. I took great offense to your article, "A Profitable Little Business" (p. 20). How can you even write such an article in a Christian magazine? Slavery was a horrendous, inhumane, and ungodly institution, made acceptable by evangelical white men who claimed to be doing the Africans a favor by bringing the "heathens" to America. They believed Africans had no souls and were subhuman; thus they didn't bother to evangelize them until almost 200 years later.

Slavery is the sin of the Christian church, and racism has its roots deep within the ranks of the church. Your article was insensitive and treated this very serious of subjects so lightly.

Janice Swinton
Falmouth, Maine

Just to be clear: we included "such an article" precisely because we found ourselves as appalled as you at the horrendous treatment of Africans by Christians and non-Christians alike.—Mark Galli

I found the issue to be enlightening. Evangelicals often forget that revival and personal spiritual transformation includes social issues. Great job!

JCMC38@aol.com
America Online

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