William Wilberforce Project

This project perpetuates the legacy of William Wilberforce, the British evangelical statesman (1759-1833). The program sponsored an annual event, alternating between a Wilberforce Symposium, devoted to scholarly papers on the life and legacy of Wilberforce and implications for our contemporary situation, and "Collegium: Conversations on Public Policy," the purpose of which is to model respectful conversation between those holding different Christian perspectives on important contemporary issues.

PAST EVENTS

November 7- 8, 2003
"Collegium: Conversations on International Public Policy"

November 7: Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts

• Session I: Normative Principles and International Politics: Is Justice Possible?
• Session II: Global Environmental Policy and Global Warming: How to Heal our Planet

November 8: Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

• Session III: The Middle East: How to Heal Tensions
• Session IV: Reparations for Slavery and its Aftermath: A Just Solution?

November 15-16, 2002
"The Legacy of William Wilberforce" Symposium
Gordon College

The symposium focused on various aspects of the life and legacy of British reformer and statesman William Wilberforce (1759-1833), and the group of philanthropists with whom he worked, The Clapham Circle. The symposium featured papers related to Wilberforce with emphases on a variety of topics. Topics considered included Wilberforce's relations with significant contemporaries, his worldview and his importance to the British abolitionist movement.

May 10-11, 2002
"Collegium: Conversations on Public Policy"
Washington, D.C.

A biannual symposium sponsored by the Wilberforce Project at the Center for Christian Studies, Gordon College. Purpose: To model respectful conversation between those holding differing Christian perspectives on important contemporary issues. Cosponsors: 

• Center for Public Justice
• Evangelicals for Social Action
• Center for Christian Leadership
• CIVITAS Program in Faith & Public Affairs
• Ethics and Public Policy Center
• The Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics
• CCCU American Studies Program
• Wilberforce Forum / Prison Fellowship Ministries
• Faith and Law; Witherspoon Fellowship

November 5-6, 1999
Wilberforce Symposium (Inaugural Event)
Gordon College

A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel was the setting for a one-man portrayal of the life of Wilberforce by noted actor John Eldredge. On November 6, twenty scholars held roundtable discussions of papers dealing with various facets of Wilberforce's work as a British statesman committed to justice and social reform through civic engagement in public affairs.