Ep. 34: Jesus, Scripture, & Slavery

Among the most difficult issues people often have with the Bible is the way in which is appears to support the of institution of slavery. The Old Testament Law makes clear allowances for it, Jesus often spoke about slaves without ever condemning the practice, and some New Testament authors, like Paul even seemed to go as far as to encourage the behavior, blatantly calling for slaves to submit to their masters and forcing a runaway slave to return to the very household that held him in bondage.

So what are we to make of this apparent contradiction, an evil, dehumanizing institution being not only present, but openly discussed and referred to in the Scriptures without ever once blatantly calling it out for the sin and wickedness we all know it to be today? Isn’t this all the proofanyone needs to simply reject any and all claims of the Bible being the inspired word of a truly good and moral God?

 In this episode of the Like Stars Podcast, I continue on with another in a short mini-series of topics covering some of these most difficult issues that arise within the teaching and life of Jesus. Specifically, why didn’t Jesus condemn slavery when he clearly knew it was going on all around him?

Join me as I discuss some of the ways in which we SHOULDN’T try to answer this question, including making the claim that ancient slavery wasn’t really that bad, nor simply accepting that the Bible is in fact just in favor of the institution. Rather, that the Biblical authors mostly accepted it as a part of their broken world and instead of immediate change, planted the seeds that would one day grow into abolishment. It’s not an easy topic to cover, but it is an important one so check it out!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this issue further, leave a comment or shoot me an email pete@risecitychurch.com

And don’t forget to pick up your copy of LIKE STARS on Amazon today!