Bible Team Challenge

Slavery in the Bible

    In my Talking About Freedom class, we were asked to write a blog post with a partner about whether or not slavery was accepted or condemned in the bible. Below, you can read the research that states where the bible argues for and against slavery. Two points of view in the same fascinating book.

Argument for Slavery:

    Slavery is either permitted or tolerated in many passages throughout the Bible. It is no secret that most, if not every society throughout history, has accepted slavery at some point in its timeline. For centuries, slavery was viewed as the most efficient form of cheap labor that gave slave owners both money and control. 

    Even in the bible, the use of slavery is permitted in various passages. In the Old Testament, Leviticus 25:44-46 allows Israelites to acquire slaves from surrounding nations. Deuteronomy 15 also discusses releasing Hebrew servants after a certain period of service. Pro-slavery thinkers argued that God regulated slavery instead of outright denouncing it, meaning it could not have been sinful. These verses and passages don’t specifically outlaw slavery, but instead detail regulations for owning slaves. 

    Other verses, however, flat-out accept the practice. In the New Testament, verses such as Ephesians 6:5 and 1 Peter 2:18 explicitly instruct slaves to obey their masters. It is argued that if slaves were directly addressed and instructed to obey their masters, then slavery must have been acceptable within Christianity. 

Slavery in the Bible

Argument Against Slavery:

    Slavery has existed in nearly every society throughout history, and religious traditions have often been used to justify it. Yet a closer reading of the Bible reveals passages in both testaments that speak directly against the practice.

    In Exodus 21:16, the law states plainly: "Anyone who kidnaps a person and sells them, or is caught holding them, must be put to death." Kidnapping and selling a person is treated not as a regulated practice, but as a capital crime.

    Deuteronomy 23:15–16 addresses a person who has escaped bondage, instructing: "You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you." The escapee "shall dwell with you, in your midst... wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him," This is shown as protection rather than a mandate to return them to captivity.

    In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 1:8–10 affirms that "the law is good if one uses it properly," then lists those the law exists for: lawbreakers, murderers, and others acting contrary to sound doctrine among them, "slave traders." The book of Philemon has often been read as pointing toward a broader shift, away from ownership and toward brotherhood.

    Together, these passages form a pattern, not an exception: a consistent stance against slavery within the biblical record.

Reflection:

    The Bible is a fascinating book, which was written over a long period of time from various different perspectives. As a result of this, the practice of slavery is both debated and accepted throughout the book, making the issue of slavery that much more polarizing.

AI DISCLOSURE: AI was used in a limited way in this assignment. I did ample research across multiple sources about slavery throughout the Bible. I then personalized this research by adding my point of view, for example, things I found surprising or interesting about what I learned. I then used Claude AI to help me clean up the text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I also asked the tool to help me shape it into the form of a blog post. I then edited the text, added links, and added images and captions.