The Historical Legacy
Although there was public perception that I did not want anything further to do with the Joseph Company concept, in actual fact it never left my heart. I was just not prepared to carry it on in the way the public was putting pressure on me to build it. I was not interested in getting a few guys together so that we could all get rich. My heart had a very different longing. In fact, it was going in the opposite direction towards a whole different group of people.
Over the course of the next few years I wondered if God’s interaction with what I will call “career executives” was limited to the dispensation of the Old Testament. Had anything happened since the formation of the Church after Jesus’ resurrection? Did this new emerging model do away with God using men and women in the marketplace? Was it now up to full time pastors and ministers to fulfill this roll? Many of these people reassured me that it was, but I wasn’t so sure. Soon I realized that I had the answer to my own question. Why would God have asked me to go find them if He didn’t intend on using them? This was all the motivation I needed to go in search of these types of men through modern history. I was convinced that God was still using them, but where were they and who were they?
You would have thought I was mining for gold as I poured over hundreds of books in search of people with this type of calling. Each book had the same story; it was the preachers and their messages that made the difference. However, one day while reading a book on revival, the author referenced a group of businessmen by name that worked hand in hand with the revivalist Charles Finney. That was the key I needed to unlock the door. From there I discovered that the last 200 years of history has left us today with an enormous legacy. Something has been handed down to us. A torch has been passed. I would like to highlight two groups that exemplify what I am talking about.
The Clapham Sect
This was a group (company) of English friends and colleagues, “brothers” who worked together from around 1790 -1830 to take up various causes they felt central to establishing the Government of God on earth. They were men who believed in the cause of the Justice of God and looked for ways to see it established in England. They were bankers, lawyers, businessmen, politicians, playwrights and authors, many who initially never saw themselves as the type of material God could use to make a difference. In their case they felt the call from God to take on the issue of the injustice of slavery.
Clapham was a small town just south of London where the two most prominent members resided. Henry Thornton was a highly successful merchant banker. William Wilberforce was the parliamentarian that championed their cause in the British Government. Through their efforts and those of their “company of brothers,” in 1807 the Slave Trade Act was passed in England abolishing slavery. They continued on with the battle and after many more years of campaigning, they were victorious with the total emancipation of British slaves with the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. They also campaigned vigorously for Britain to use its influence to eradicate slavery throughout the world. As a “company” of men they also took up such causes as Penal Reform and evangelizing India.
The recently released movie “Amazing Grace” recalls the story of the life of William Wilberforce as he struggles with his own frail humanity. He has to overcome his own inner demons but in the end decides to take a stand on God’s side on this issue. John Newton the ex-slave trader and author of the now famous hymn “Amazing Grace” was a Rector in the City of London and was a huge influence on Wilberforce. While Wilberforce’s name is associated with the victory, it was a team effort as each of the “company of brothers” played a key role in building the case that eventually set the captive free.
The Association of Gentlemen
In the United States, brothers Arthur & Louis Tappan who were dry goods and silk merchants during the 1820-30’s in New York City rallied their “company of brothers” in business together. They took on a variety of causes including; abolishing slavery, the sex trade and chemical dependency. They were men of such integrity that they refused to do business in the generally accepted custom of the day which was to have different prices for different customers depending on their status. The Tappan’s on the principle of integrity advertised “One Price for All.” Due to their unwavering commitment to integrity; they became the most trusted merchants on the east coast. Even those that hated their religious philosophy on various social issues did business with them as they knew they could be trusted.
They built churches for the poor and turned the established religious thinking of the day upside down. They abolished the “pew tax” that allowed people to come to church for free. Can you imagine it? What a radical idea! They formed not-for-profit organizations, founded newspapers and built universities all in an effort to establish the Government of God on Earth. This company of men grew increasingly more frustrated with the church politics of the day. They felt that they needed a spokesman as radical and open minded as they were and recruited Charles Finney. They built his churches and financed his revivals. When they felt he was out of line by segregating his congregation as was the custom of the day, they confronted him on it and made him change.
Stephen Spielberg produced a movie in 1997 called “Amistad.” It is the story of a group of slaves who revolted on their slave ship and were later captured. Stellen Skarsgard plays Louis Tappan who not only financed the slave’s defense but was instrumental in recruiting ex-President John Quincy Adams to argue the case before the US Supreme Court.