News, Press & Reviews

New Illuminators Series Reveals Abiding Faith, Inspiration, and Revolutionary Power in the Lessons of History

The story of slavery in America is a familiar one—of the shackles that bound men, women, and children against their will; of the bravery and determination of those heroes who would not rest until every man and woman was free; of the bitter price that was paid for such a sinful institution; and of the echoes of suffering that still resonate in our country today. What many do not know, however, is that long before President Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, England faced its own struggle against slavery.

Barbour Publishing launches the exciting new Illuminators series with To Live Free, the story of William Wilberforce. The subject of Amazing Grace, a major motion picture releasing in February 2007, Wilberforce was a member of Parliament who fought to abolish slavery in England decades before the American Civil War. He was also a man of deep faith and conviction who wrote a best-selling book promoting Real Christianity.

Presented in a unique, novelized, biographical format and including excerpts from Real Christianity, To Live Free casts light on the beliefs and values that made William Wilberforce a force for good, challenging us in the twenty-first century to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37 NIV).

What is an Illuminator? A person of passion who influences our world for Christ! The life of William Wilberforce provides a glowing example of what one committed Christian can accomplish in a dark and dangerous world. His story teaches us that we, too, can—and must—be illuminators in our own time.


Lon Fendall directs the Center for Global Studies at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He has served as a youth director, a college professor and dean, on the staff of World Vision, and on the staff of a U.S. senator. Lon and his wife, Raelene, have been married more than 40 years.

Releasing February 2007. . .To Live Free, Lon Fendall, Barbour Publishing, 5" x 7",paperback, 256 pages, $9.97, ISBN 978-1-59789-688-7

Related Books

• To Live Free - William Wilberforce (Trade Paper)