While the French Revolution called attention to social misery in other countries besides France, it was in England and America that the humanitarian spirit found its greatest opportunity to breathe. Christians who were conscious of social wrongs gave particular attention in England to poverty, intemperance, slavery, and industrial ills. Methodism had carried religion to the working people. Wesley had tried outreach experiments and had been active in philanthropy. But agricultural conditions kept the rural people poor and the lack of schools kept them ignorant. The Industrial Revolution altered working conditions and enslaved the young and old alike. Those who couldn’t pay their debts were commonly punished by imprisonment. Slavery in the British Empire was a national disgrace. These and other conditions aroused the Christian reformers. John Howard worked tirelessly to improve prison conditions. When he had secured better prison conditions in England he went to the European Continent where he died as a result of his persistent efforts. William Wilberforce secured the abolition of slavery throughout the Empire. And Lord Shaftesbury spent his career working for a number of reforms.
Impact: These and other men and women, among the first to be called evangelicals, organized the Church Missionary Society and other Bible and tract societies. Together they took the lead in social reform and helped to make significant and lasting changes in Britain, changes that inspired other believers around the world.