Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging

truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Every year, the Colson Center gives the William Wilberforce Award to a Christian leader

who's made a lasting difference in their sphere of influence, demonstrating the same kind

of principal courage as that of British abolitionist William Wilberforce.

Well, this year, at the 2023 Colson Center National Conference, we look forward to honoring

Shadaka Johnson.

His work as a pastor, church planner and reformer has brought transformation in his home

country of Sierra Leone, as a young man in church, Shadaka embraced a call to take the

gospel to unreach Muslim communities to the north.

At that service, he was the only one to respond to that call.

And I went there, but I fell in love with the people.

I just fell in love with the people.

I loved them.

And eventually, I was just stuck with them.

And I stayed for more than five years in the Michelfield.

And that's how my journey really started.

Shadaka's decades of ministry in Sierra Leone include ten years when the country was in

a civil war.

In addition to the normal risk of ministry in such a difficult place, Shadaka's been

captured by government and rebel forces more than a few times.

...