I am an African American; I say this because I recently took a history class and found out that Christianity was used as one of the means of not only imposing slavery, but justifying it. As someone who was brought up in the church, this has really disturbed me. So I went to the Bible and began reading the laws of slavery in Leviticus 25, and there was also a particular verse in Colossians 3:22Colossians 3:22
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
22 Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:
WP-Bible plugin which implies that slavery was not condoned by God but not frowned upon either. Funny enough, all of my years being in the church, I have never heard any of these passages mentioned… I have two questions:Where does God stand when it comes to slavery? How come it is not allowed anymore if the Bible does not discourage it?
Sincerely,
Loosing Faith
Dear Loosing Faith,
Unfortunately, many horrendous things have been done in the name of Christ… but that doesn’t make them right. God does address slavery in the Bible. He makes it clear that it is better when people are free; freedom is what God desires for all men (1 Cor 7:211 Cor 7:21
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
21 Wast thou called being a bondservant? Care not for it: nay, even if thou canst become free, use [it] rather.
WP-Bible plugin). However, God also deals with how people can live in a world where slavery does exist… hence, verses like Col 3:22Col 3:22
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
22 Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:
WP-Bible plugin. Slavery was, and is, a reality in many parts of the world, a reality that doesn’t go away once people become christians. How a slave should behave toward their master is a down-to-earth, practical, moral question for many, many people. The fact that we Americans don’t have to deal with such dilemmas anymore is a blessing indeed.