It is the distinguishing glory of Christianity not to rest satisfied with superficial appearances, but to rectify the motives, and purify the heart.
William WilberforceRead
Christianity has been successfully attacked and marginalized… because those who professed belief were unable to defend the faith from attack, even though its attackers’ arguments were deeply flawed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the failure of believers to adequately defend their faith against flawed criticisms.
William Wilberforce's quote reflects on the challenges faced by Christianity, emphasizing that its credibility has been undermined not necessarily by strong opposition, but by the inability of its defenders to respond effectively to flawed arguments. This serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding and articulating one's beliefs in the face of criticism.
Themes
ChristianityFaithDefenseArgumentsBelief
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on religious beliefs, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of defending one's faith.
More from William Wilberforce
All quotes →God Almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.
William WilberforceRead
The first years in Parliament I did nothing - nothing to any purpose. My own distinction was my darling object.
William WilberforceRead
In an age in which infidelity abounds, do we observe parents carefully instructing their children in the principles of faith which they profess? Or do they furnish their children with arguments for the defense of that faith? ...it is not surprising to see them abandon a position which they are unable to defend.
William WilberforceRead
No one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, strenuous diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labour, study, or inquiry.
William WilberforceRead
O what a blessing is Sunday, interposed between the waves of worldly business like the divine path of the Israelites through the sea! There is nothing in which I would advise you to be more strictly conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath day holy. I can truly declare that to me the Sabbath has been invaluable.
William WilberforceRead
Similar quotes
Where once the student was taught that the unexamined life was not worth living, he is now taught that the profitably lived life is not worth examining.
Benjamin BarberRead
The soul is the effect and instrument of a political anatomy; the soul is the prison of the body
Michel FoucaultRead
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it Confucius All truth is safe and nothing else is safe, but he who keeps back truth, or withholds it from men, from motives of expediency, is either a coward or a criminal.
James Russell LowellRead
Tis not where we lie but whence we fell; the loss of Heaven's the greatest pain in Hell.
Pedro Calderon De La BarcaRead
I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. Hard stories are worth the difficulty. It seems to me the only way I have forgiven anything, understood anything, is through that process of opening up to my own terror and pain and reexamining it, re-creating it in the story, and making it something different, making it meaningful - even if the meaning is only in the act of the telling.
Dorothy AllisonRead
As a younger woman, that pressure got me down, but I've made my peace with it. With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that's dangerously unhealthy. I'm excited about the ageing process. I'm more interested in women who aren't perfect. They're more compelling.
Emma WatsonRead