Afternoon Seminars & Workshops

 

OX-02 — The Lion of Northfield – D.L. Moody, Agent of Cultural Change

Kevin Belmonte

Troubled mega-ministries – financial scandal. The 19th century life and ministry of Dwight L. Moody were sterling exceptions to these, an example which helped to shape Billy Graham’s 20th century international ministry.  Moody’s  life holds deeply important lessons regarding personal integrity, financial probity, networking, stewardship and innovation. He renounced all royalties from “one of the most paying literary properties in existence”—a sum worth tens of millions today – instead establishing an independent board of trustees to distribute its funds worldwide.

He created a network of philanthropically-minded businessmen, and pointed them to “channels of beneficence” that still exist today, including the creation of schools that purposely sought out gifted but impoverished young people. Vibrantly alive, Moody was innovative and unconventional, pioneering techniques that reached millions during the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. It was he of whom the New York Times said in 1927: “society will have reason to be grateful if [in future] there arises a revivalist so sound in himself, so true to his faith, so human in his contacts as D.L. Moody.”

 

 

CAM-02 — The Washington of Humanity – William Wilberforce, Agent of Cultural Change

Kevin Belmonte

Principled leadership – civility – bi-partisanship – building bridges – fostering cultural renewal – service to something larger than self – a winsome, compelling, and influential public philosophy. The life and legacy of William Wilberforce embodied so many things we aspire to today. He and his colleagues among the Clapham circle led the fight to end the British slave trade, but they also created an astonishing array of philanthropic initiatives that touched the lives of people throughout the world.

Their leadership was, in many ways, counter-intuitive but incredibly effective. 200 years on, we still have many lessons to learn from Wilberforce, whose leadership extended not only to a great human rights victory, but to the transformation of a culture in Britain and America. He lent his name to an age and indelibly shaped the world we live in.

 

 

Kevin Belmonte — Award-winning author of William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity, 2007. He has served as a script consultant for the BBC and PBS. For six years (2001-2007), he served as the lead historical consultant for “Amazing Grace,” the critically acclaimed feature film about the life of Wilberforce, directed by noted British film director, Michael Apted. During the last two years, Belmonte’s biography of Wilberforce has been required reading for courses on character and leadership formation at Harvard. At present, he has just completed writing biographies on G.K. Chesterton, John Bunyan, and D.L. Moody.