Encourage believers to serve as “salt of the earth†and “light of the world†as Jesus said, with this compelling example of 19-century English Evangelicals (cited from The Call to Seriousness: The Evangelical Impact on the Victorians by Ian C. Bradley [New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1976]).
19th century English Evangelicals…
- Ended the British slave trade,
- Abolished sati (burning widows) in India,
- Abolished infant sacrifice in India,
- Banned child labor and many such abuses, and set the pace for other nations,
- Initiated reforms to ban the torture of animals for sport, and similar abuses,
- Rehabilitated prostitutes,
- Reformed the English Parliament, creating guidelines for just government,
- Brought education and other forms of relief to the destitute of England,
- Initiated prison reforms that set the pace for almost all nations,
- Brought about insane asylum reforms that set the pace for much of the world,
- Started the first hospitals in many countries,
- Started schools and universities in many countries that had few or none,
- Introduced literacy into many people groups.
[…] Christians have been Salt of the Earth throughout history […]