We Have Come to Believe - The Rev. Philip DeVaul

The Bible does not say that slavery is wrong. Slavery – the act of owning another human being – was a common occurrence in the cultures that are portrayed in the Bible. There are multiple descriptions as to how slaves should be treated, but there are no places in which slavery is condemned, neither outright nor implicitly.

Over time though, through interaction with Scriptures, in prayer, and in discussion with one another, Christians came to believe that slavery was in fact evil. I believe it is important to note that Christians did not come to this conclusion by finding some hidden biblical text that said, “Slavery is bad.” Christians came to this conclusion – far too slowly actually – by taking Jesus seriously in his description of how we are meant to treat one another, and by looking at the whole of his ministry. His was a ministry of humanization. Engaging in acts of dehumanization did not and does not reflect the heart of Christ.