The Slave Trade - The Miracle that Changed the Nation At the beginning of the eighteenth century the teaching of the Bible was once again neglected; as a result Britain was becoming cruel and violent. The African slave-trade was at its height, prison conditions were appalling, drunkenness left thousands of families starving, and smuggling was socially acceptable. Few seemed to care about what was right or wrong.
The miracle that changed the nation began in the 1730s with thaw is called the ‘evangelical awakening’. John Wesley and many others preached to crowds of ten thousand or more in the open air. What became known as the Methodist Church was born and by the end of the century it had more than 100,000 members.
Countless lives were changed by this remarkable revival of the Christian faith. A return to widespread preaching from the Bible set high standards of morality and the nation was reminded of the need for personal responsibility towards God and those in need.
Christians campaigned against the slave trade and set out to reform conditions in the nation’s prisons. John Howard was a committed Christian whose tireless work visiting jails throughout Britain and abroad made him the most famous of all prison reformers. Christians opposed smuggling and the sale of cheap gin that caused so much suffering. Christian compassion inspired the founding of main hospitals and schools.
By the end of the eighteenth century, missionaries from Britain were travelling across the world to bring the Christian message to those who had never heard it. Click Here to find out more
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