What is the Christian response to slavery?

Answer 1

A:

The earliest Christian reference to slavery is in Paul's Epistle to Philemon, a slaveowner, in which Paul says that he is returning his escaped slave and asks him to treat the slave well. The pseudo-Pauline epistles command slaves to obey their masters and masters to treat their slaves well.

In the Middle Ages, there was a divergence of views. The Greek monks refused to have slaves, while the Roman monks did not. Slavery could be used by the Church as a form of punishment or penance - the Ninth Council of Toledo, in 655, ordered that all children of clerics were to be enslaved. Pope Urban II went further and ordered that the wives of priests were to be enslaved. The legitimacy of slavery is incorporated in the Corpus Iuris Canonici, promulgated by Pope Gregory IX, which remained official law of the Church until 1913.

Speaking about slavery, the American theologian Charles Hodge (1797-1878) insisted, "nothing is obligatory upon the conscience but what [The Bible] enjoins; nothing can be sin but what it condemns."

However, Christians are people, and people generally began to demad that slavery be eliminated around the world.

Another answer:

A slave is merely a "servant"... a person delegated to perform one or more of the tasks required by a "master." The world has always had masters and servants. In the strictest sense... anyone who hires on to a job today and "works for a boss" is the "servant" or "slave" of a master.

Yet, in the course of human events; man's abuses and perversions of what God has made... "slavery" has taken on a negative spin among many people that was never intended for the term.

In the world, and in the Commandments of God, there is WORK to be done:

"Six days thou shalt LABOUR, and DO ALL THY WORK: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt NOT DO ANY WORK, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy MANSERVANT[hired male slave], nor thy MAIDSERVANT [hired female slave], nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates..." (Ex.20:9-10 KJV).

And the wealthy masters in the world have more work that needs done than they have time to do themselves. Therefore, workers are hired for the tasks. This is the way the world works. There are masters and there are slaves.

Christians know and understand this, just like anyone else. But in a larger, spiritual sense... they also know and understand another kind of "slavery."

A negative kind of drudgery and bondage and slavery.

The slavery of mankind to "sin."

"Jesus said to the people [those Jews - KJV] who believed in Him, 'You are Truly My disciples if you keep obeying My teachings. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.' 'But we are descendants of Abraham,' they said. 'We have never been SLAVES to anyone on earth. What do you mean, set free?'

"Jesus replied, 'I assure you that everyone who sins IS A SLAVE TO SIN. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free." (John 8:31-35 NLT New Living Translation)

Christians understand that mankind is in bondage [slavery] to the master [god of this world]; Satan the Devil [the Originator of SIN - John 8:44], when the first two people created chose him to "serve, obey and worship" in the Garden of Eden -- instead of "serving and obeying the Commandments of their True Master and Creator" [the WORD of God: Jesus Christ - see John 1:3].

They understand that man's Creator is WORKING toward obtaining the FREEDOM [the redemption, the purchasing, the buying-back] of His Children FROM THE MASTER TO WHOM THEY SOLD THEMSELVES into bondage [slavery] in the beginning.

"I AM the LORD your God, who RESCUED YOU FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT [Egypt symbolizes 'sin' in the Bible]. DO NOT WORSHIP ANY OTHER GODS BESIDES ME. (Ex.20:2-3 NLT)

Same passage; KJV: "I AM the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt [sin], out of THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE [slavery]. THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME." [verses 2-3)

Christians understand that Christ's blood PURCHASES THEM FROM THEIR FORMER MASTER, Satan... and indentures them to their NEW MASTER, JESUS CHRIST! They know that they have been "redeemed" [bought and paid for] by the Good Master, to do HIS WORKS... not the WORKS OF SIN.

Christians understand that they are now MORE THAN SLAVES TO GOD... but are being groomed for ADOPTION INTO HIS FAMILY AS HIS CHILDREN.

"You are my FRIENDS if YOU OBEY ME. I no longer call you SERVANTS [slaves], because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now YOU ARE MY FRIENDS, since I have told you everything the Father told Me... I Command you to LOVE ONE ANOTHER." (John 15:14-17 NLT)

"Do you remember what I told you? 'A SERVANT [slave] is not greater than his master.' Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you... The people of this world will hate you because YOU BELONG TO ME, for they don't know God who sent Me." (verses 20-21)

Christians understand that Satan and his demons... like Pharaoh and his armies... are out to BRING THEM BACK INTO EGYPT [sin]. They understand that they are to FLEE FROM SIN's BONDAGE. And they know that Christ... like the column of the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that continuously stood between Pharaoh and God's people... stands between them and Satan.

Christians know that: "...our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them: and THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST." (I Cor.10:1-4 KJV)

Christians are human, like everyone else. They know the twisted, perverse cruelty of man. They were once twisted and cruel themselves before being purchased by their new Master from the old cruel one. They know both sides of the "slavery" coin; the WORKS of the cruel taskmaster and the WORKS of the Benevolent Master.

"Take My yoke upon you. LET ME TEACH YOU, because I AM Humble and Gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke fits Perfectly, and the Burden I give you is Light." (Matt.11:29-30 NLT)

Christians know and understand that WE ARE ALL SLAVES TO SOMEONE OR SOMETHING.

Matthew Henry says this about Matt.11:29-30:

"...The way of duty is the way of rest. The Truths Christ teaches are such as we may venture our souls upon. Such is the Redeemer's Mercy; and why should the labouring and burdened sinner [slave; emphasis mine] seek for rest from any other quarter? Let us come to Him daily, for deliverance from wrath and guilt, from sin and Satan, from all our cares, fears, and sorrows. But forced obedience, far from being easy and light, is a heavy burden. In vain do we draw near to Jesus with our lips, while our heart is far from Him. Then come to Jesus to find rest for your souls." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: Matt.11; ...The heavy-laden invited)

That is what Christians KNOW about slavery.

Answer 2

The teachings of Christianity abhor slavery as do those who are Christian and follow these teachings.

Below are several examples of attitudes toward slavery consistent with Christianity.

The following quotes from Wilburforce indicate the motivation for the abolition of the slave trade stemmed from his newly-held Christian beliefs - beliefs which abhored and disowned the practice of slavery.

If it please God to honor me so far, may I be the instrument of stopping such a course of wickedness and cruelty as never before disgraced a Christian country

God Almighty has placed before me two great objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners [morals].

John Wesley encouraged and inspired Wilburforce in this endeavor, clearly stating the case against the trade from a Christian perspective in his last letter before he died

Unless the divine power has raised you us to be as Athanasius contra mundum, I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be fore you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.

Reading this morning a tract wrote by a poor African, I was particularly struck by that circumstance that a man who has a black skin, being wronged or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a "law" in our colonies that the oath of a black against a white goes for nothing. What villainy is this?

That he who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, dear sir,

John Newton, who was influential upon Wilberforce, published a tract outlining the atrocities of the African slave trade from his first hand experiences and involvement before repenting of it. He prefaced it with a quote from Matthew 7:12 which expresses a common theme and motivation amongst the Christian abolitionists:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Answer 3

Paul, in I Corinthians 7:20-24,"Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you-although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to."

In the very early days of Christianity, Christian slavemasters preferred pagan slaves, because they had to allow Christian slaves time off on Sundays, thus lowering their economic value. Because of this, pagan slaves belonging to Christian masters had to get their masters' permission to become Christians.

The evidence of continuing slavery can be found in the fourth-century Council of Nicaea, where bishops were limited in the number of personal slaves each was allowed to bring to the conference, partly a result of accommodation limitations.

During the early Middle Ages, slavery became much less necessary because of the concept of serfdom essentially introduced by Emperor Constantine. Serfs were easier to manage than slaves and required less supervision. The notion that Christians could not be enslaved came into force, meaning that raiding parties had to go into the pagan lands of the north and east, to capture suitable slaves.

Another source of slaves, acceptable to the Christian culture, were the Gypsies. For example, in 1370 forty Gypsy families in Wallachia, Romania, were taken prisoner and given as slaves to the monastery of St Anthony at Voditza.

William Wilberforce is justly credited with the abolition of the British slave trade in the late eighteenth century, using the Christian faith to rally support for his cause. It may well be that Wilberforce was motived by a Christian sense of decency, but the historian C.L.R. James (The Black Jacobins) says Wilberforce's role was a little different than it is usually portrayed. What finished off slavery in the empire was the recognition that the abolition of slavery at the time was in the interests of British commerce. Britain's great rival, France, enjoyed great spoils of slave labour from its colonies in the West Indies. The British and Wilberforce sought to close down the slave trade to the West Indies to deprive the French of cheap labour.

The Christian acceptance of slavery continued right up until the nineteenth century in both Europe and the United States of America. Christianity was present among the people who profited from the transAtlantic slave trade, and everywhere in the American states and colonies. Evidence of this is the presence of magnificent churches from this era. Strangely, many of the white slave-owners justified the slave trade by reference to Christianity, considering themselves a chosen people, ordained to control and lead the black people of the earth. The slaves themselves were required to convert to Christianity. The eventual end of slavery in the United States came about because of political imperatives, not just religious belief.

Answer 4

Because christians are slaves to the Lord God