The Problem of Slavery

Topic Notes

• Slavery, particularly as we know it, is evil
• Does God set rules regarding slavery?
• God sets rules that call us to love one another
• God’s rules are set to govern the way we live
• God set rules concerning slaves because it was an established practice
• Do these rules mean that God condones the behavior?
• Compare slavery from the biblical era to that of early American history
• Quite often slaves in biblical times were educated
• It was not unheard of that slaves would even be more educated than their masters
• People often sold themselves into slavery to get ahead
• Slaves often held highly skilled positions
• The Bible tells slave owners to treat their slaves well
• The Bible also tells slaves that if they can gain their freedom, they should
• Slaves in biblical times often had the right to leave
• The Bible also prohibited the turning over of a slave to its master if it ran away
• The main point of the Bible is not our human condition; it’s our spiritual condition
• The imperfection of man

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