The Argument against Slavery
Kevin Giles assertion points to a nuanced truth: the Bible does not unambiguously endorse slavery as it was practiced in America or other modern contexts. Biblical references to slavery often pertain to systems vastly different from the chattel slavery of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as indentured servitude or prisoners of war. The Exodus narrative portrays God as a liberator, not an enslaver. Christianity became a source of hope and strength for many enslaved Africans in America. They identified with the Israelites, freed from slavery in Egypt, and saw themselves as part of a divine story of liberation. Spirituals, prayers, and Biblical references gave them the emotional and psychological endurance to survive in oppressive conditions. Some of the enslaved recognized the contradictions between the Christian gospel of love, equality, and freedom, and the brutal system of slavery. They used these contradictions to undermine the legitimacy of their bondage.
In the New Testament, they focused on verses such as Galatians 3:28 or Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.", emphasizing the importance of being free in a place of slavery. While Christianity was used to pacify slaves, with some slave owners teaching their slaves a warped version of the gospel that focused on obedience and submission, many slaves subverted these teachings. They embraced the more liberating aspects of the Bible, seeing their eventual freedom as a divine promise. In this sense, religion was both a tool of control by the oppressors and a source of revolutionary inspiration for the oppressed. The long-standing argument over whether slavery was justified by religion continues to shape discussions today. While some historical figures twisted Biblical scripture to support the institution of slavery, the deeper message of the Bible, especially through the Exodus story and the teachings of Jesus, leans towards liberation and equality. This tension is a critical part of understanding the complex role religion has played in both justifying and resisting slavery.
The Argument for Slavery
During the era of American Slavery, the Bible was the foundation to create the institute as it became. Antebellum Christians led the charge for the growth as many slave owners looked to God with a biblical reason for our necessary evils with divine intervention.
Regardless of the implications, slavery has been apart of our world since God sent down Jesus to save us from our sins. From this article describes slavery as "a necessary part of Christianity" that was "akin to a marriage" as slavery is as historical and controlled from the dawn of modern times. Without slavery we must ask if America would be in the same place as we are today. While the slave-owning class was a small minority, the will of God being on their side due to the interpretations of the Bible led to a switch within why they were given slaves in the first part. The switch laid out in this article give reasons as to the justification: "slavery supporters were better Christians and more faithful interpreters of Biblical text than their opponents".
With pressure from Angelicas, the switch from the worlds acceptance of slavery from a necessary evil to a positive good is laid out within this article "Defending the Indefensible" where the ideals of how the world was not only benefiting from American slavery, but now giving examples within biblical stories. For example within the story of Genesis, Cain curses Ham that darker races were deemed inferior by divine acts. Along with the ideal that "abolitionist opposition to this biblical hermeneutic set the scene for a Baptist schism." Due to these stories within the Holy Bible, many slave owners found solace within the way they believed God had intended for slavery.
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