- QIC: wingman
- Pax: 3rdf-timekeeper, Bratwurst, Citgo, das_boot, Frasier, soft_pretzel, tigerrag
Ch 10 – Doesn’t the Bible condone Slavery?
Date: 2024-12-03 AO: 3rdf-timekeeper Q: Gump PAX: tigerrag, citgo, frasier, soft_pretzel, das_boot, bratwurst FNGs: None COUNT: 7 Easy Answer? No, the Bible doesn’t condone slavery.
The Bible does discuss slavery in the context of the day, which was more “wage slavery” vs. what we are familiar with in modern times (i.e. United States 1800’s) as “chattel slavery”. Chattel slavery is a social institution where enslaved people are treated as property that can be bought, sold, or given away. In Wage Slavery the wage laborer can choose between employers, but the employers usually constitute a minority of owners in the population.
Even in a Wage Slavery context, (quote from the book) “Why was this slave language so favored among the early church leaders? First, to communicate their utter belonging to Christ: “You are not your own,” writes Paul; “you were bough at a price!” (1 Cor 6:19-20). Just as slaves lived to do their master’s work, Christians lived to serve Christ. Second, the slave title communicated the cost of following Jesus. The first Christian leaders suffered persecution, beatings, hunger, shipwreck, and death. Their lot was hard. But a third motivation for the apostles’ using this slave language must surely have been the reality that many early Christians were slaves. Hearing leaders refer to themselves in this way must have been sweet to the ears of first-century Christians in bondage. Far from being subhuman possessions, they had status equal with the foremost leaders of the church.”
Next week, Dec 10th, citgo leads Chapter 11 – “How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?”
The Bible does discuss slavery in the context of the day, which was more “wage slavery” vs. what we are familiar with in modern times (i.e. United States 1800’s) as “chattel slavery”. Chattel slavery is a social institution where enslaved people are treated as property that can be bought, sold, or given away. In Wage Slavery the wage laborer can choose between employers, but the employers usually constitute a minority of owners in the population.
Even in a Wage Slavery context, (quote from the book) “Why was this slave language so favored among the early church leaders? First, to communicate their utter belonging to Christ: “You are not your own,” writes Paul; “you were bough at a price!” (1 Cor 6:19-20). Just as slaves lived to do their master’s work, Christians lived to serve Christ. Second, the slave title communicated the cost of following Jesus. The first Christian leaders suffered persecution, beatings, hunger, shipwreck, and death. Their lot was hard. But a third motivation for the apostles’ using this slave language must surely have been the reality that many early Christians were slaves. Hearing leaders refer to themselves in this way must have been sweet to the ears of first-century Christians in bondage. Far from being subhuman possessions, they had status equal with the foremost leaders of the church.”
Next week, Dec 10th, citgo leads Chapter 11 – “How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?”
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