A
group of evangelical Christians,
predominantly of the Anglican persuasion, came together towards the end
of the eighteenth
century and formed what became known as the Clapham Sect. Wealthy and
politically conservative, they believed in the preservation of the ranks and
orders of society and philanthropic benevolence from above. Their aims
were to
promote missionary work at home and abroad and to abolish slavery. They worked
for prison reform, and the abolition of cruel sports and they financed
schools
and supported several missionary and Bible societies. Called the Clapham Sect
from the church of John Venn who was rector of Clapham in South London,
their
members included men such as William Wilberforce.
The Claphamites were prominent in England from about 1790 to 1830 and it was
in 1804 (two hundred years ago this year) that one Thomas Charles along with
his
fellow members urged the Religious Tract Society in London to found what was
to become the British and Foreign Bible Society. Thomas Charles features in
the
story of Mary Jones, the young Welsh girl who walked across the hills to Bala
in order to
buy
a Bible. This event took place four years before the society was formed and
it is believed that it was Mary's determination to obtain a Bible
that inspired him to found the society.
An interdenominational Protestant
lay society with international representatives in London, its aim was to provide
vernacular translations of the Scriptures available to people of all races
at
an affordable price. It was very successful in this, having spent over £1,000,000
and distributed 4,500,000 Bibles by 1825. In 1851, the great social reformer
and
acknowledged leader of the evangelical movement within the Church of England,
Lord Shaftesbury, became its president until his death in 1885.
Two hundred years on its work is continuing. It is now often known as the Bible Society and is part of a global alliance of the one hundred and thirty societies which form the world wide fellowship of United Bible Societies. It is still carrying out the work that Thomas Charles, and William Wilberforce and their fellow members in the Clapham Set pioneered so long ago and the word of God is still being dispatched to all the corners of the globe.
© Fulwood Methodist Church
16:03:50 Wednesday, 26 October 2005
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