In 1782 , Hannah published a series of dramatizations of Bible stories , Sacred Dramas , as her first overtly Christian work . This work was largely a product of her internal conflicts , and she sought to demonstrate that “ devoutest piety and the cultivation of elegant literature and taste ” 3 were not incompatible . During this season , Hannah came to the conviction that culture was as much , or even more , influenced by the arts than by legislation . This is consistent with the words of contemporary theologian Kevin J . Vanhoozer : “ Popular culture — more so than the academy or the church — has become the arena where most people work out their understanding of the true , the good , and the beautiful .” 4 Hannah understood this and wondered how she might expand her influence on the culture through her writing .
In 1787 , Hannah visited John Newton to gain wisdom from him . Just a few years earlier , Newton challenged William Wilberforce to use his influence in Parliament to work to abolish the slave trade . He issued the same challenge for Hannah , steeling her resolve to use her pen to influence the culture . Hannah became friends with Wilberforce , and their work , in two different but intimately related spheres of influence , would eventually instigate the collapse of the slave trade and slavery in Britain .
As part of her efforts , Hannah penned a poem called Slavery , in which she made the cultural case against the scourge of human trade and ownership . Similar to how Uncle Tom ’ s Cabin ruptured the conscience of America , Slavery dealt a fatal blow to the commonly held assumption that slavery was a natural and normal part of life in the British Empire . Using words meant to enliven the imagination , she painted pictures with her pen of the dark secret the average Briton had never seen — the inestimable suffering of African families at the hands of the slave traders and slave owners . Here is just a small excerpt :
This awakening led to petitions to Parliament signed by hundreds of thousands of everyday people . Hannah ’ s writing ultimately swayed the hearts of members of Parliament , just as Wilberforce ’ s fiery speeches did until , in 1807 , the slave trade was abolished in England .
But Hannah ’ s efforts were not solely directed at slavery . She also took aim at the worldview and habits of the population that could accept and support slavery . England had become a nation of people who identified as Christians but lived as pagans . Much of the foundation for this worldview was encouraged in the 1700s by the political and moral upheaval in France , driven by the pursuit of decadence and revulsion for tradition . To combat the rising tide of this secular and brutal perspective on the world , which was the moral and intellectual framework for slavery , Hannah wrote a series of pamphlets advocating for Christian values and norms as the only foundation for a just and well-ordered society . She used her well-honed rhetorical skills and entertaining style to move public opinion once again towards a desire for the good , the right , and the true .
William Wilberforce is often credited with fomenting the movement that eventually ended the slave trade in Britain and restored a biblical moral framework to the British Empire . However , as he would acknowledge , his efforts in legislation would not have succeeded had Hannah More not been wielding the enchanting power of the pen to reshape the hearts of individual citizens , leading to a renewed conscience throughout the British Empire . ■
Dr . Roger Erdvig serves as Director of Worldview Education at Summit Ministries . An avid student of history , he is a member of the Scholars Advisory Council for the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center on Independence Mall in Philadelphia , the premier museum experience in the U . S ., documenting the indisputable link between faith in the God of the Bible and the pursuit of liberty .
“ Shall Britain , where the soul of Freedom reigns ,
Forge chains for others she herself disdains ? Forbid it , Heaven ! O let the nations know The liberty she tastes she will bestow ;
Not to herself the glorious gift confined ,
She spreads the blessing wide as human kind ;
And scorning narrow views of time and place ,
Bids all be free in earth ’ s extended space .”
ENDNOTES 1 . Hannah More , The Complete Works ( New York : Derby and Jackson , 1957 ), 1:355 . 2 . Karen Swallow Prior , Fierce Convictions : The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More — Poet , Reformer , Abolitionist ( Nashville : Thomas Nelson , 2014 ), 86 . 3 . Henry Thompson , The Life of Hannah More ( Philadelphia : E . L . Cary and A . Hart , 1838 ), 1:86 . 4 . Kevin J . Vanhoozer , Charles A . Anderson , Michael J . Sleasman , Everyday Theology : How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends ( Baker Academic ; Annotated edition , March 1 , 2007 ), 33 .
Author ’ s Note : To learn more about Hannah More , see Seven Women : And the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas , which was the primary source of information for this article . For a deeper dive into Hannah ’ s life and impact , read Fierce Convictions : The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More — Poet , Reformer , Abolitionist by Karen Swallow Prior .
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