But he was confident that at some point in the future there would be people interested in his cause. The specific personal details of his life are perhaps less important than the cause he represented and consistently fought for throughout his life. It is of interest to know, however, that he was born in Northern Ireland and came to the United States as a young man in the 1820s. Although he was encouraged by an older brother to take out American citizenship, he refused, since doing so would require swearing an oath to the US Constitution, a document that fails to acknowledge Christ as King and perpetuated the institution of slavery. The issue of slavery features prominently in the first part of the book, and Steele's response to that issue holds lessons for Christians of the late twentieth century.
Slavery is closely analogous to one of the critical issues of our own day, abortion.
In both cases, human beings are cruelly treated by other human beings, with the explicit support of the civil government. Before the American Civil War, many Covenanters were very dedicated to eradicating the ungodly practice of slavery. However, in their zeal, many of them joined organizations that included enemies of the gospel. The point is, however, that in spite of his strong opposition to slavery, he held back from unbiblical associations, knowing that obedience to God's explicit commands was the best way to proceed in any situation. To men it may look like joining with our theological opponents in a principled political cause is the only way to stop an ongoing evil.