Obviously, there is much that can be said about this topic, but one point that Samples made is that the servant-slavery that we read about in the Bible is not the same type of chattel slavery that was witnessed in the Antebellum South or the slave trade in William Wilberforce's Britain.
In his new book Christianity Cross-Examined: Is It Rational, Relevant, and Good?, Samples shares ten ways servant-slavery in Israel differed from chattel slavery.
1. Indentured servitude offered a means to deal with poverty.
2. Racism was not a motivation for slavery.
3. Kidnapping, including for the purpose of slave trading, was illegal.
4. Enslaved people were not treated as mere property.
5. Cruelty was strictly prohibited and punishable by law.
6. Slavery was not operative from birth.
7. Slavery was not a permanent condition.
8. Indentured servitude was entered into and ended voluntarily.
9. Enslaved people had rights.
10. Enslaved people had access to an appeals process.
For those who are interested in learning more about this topic, Samples further explores the topic of slavery in the ancient world in his new book.
You can get your copy here.
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Related Posts
Article: Does God Condone Slavery? by Amy Hall
Investigating Slavery in the Bible
Article: How to ERASE Logical Fallacies by Kenneth Samples
Comments
Let's be honest about what the bible says.
Next time, remind me so I don't waste my time!
I hope you are well.
This is the second time you have accused me of deleting your comments and in both cases, I did not. Now, I confess that I may not have published them in a time you deem acceptable, but to say that I deleted them is unfair. Admittedly, I don't always think to check the comments because I am not blogging daily, nor do they come to my email. I hope that makes sense.
For a different perspective on the passage you mention, see here
Respectfully