Thursday, November 7, 2024

God and Slavery: Answering the Skeptic

God’s Three-Order Morality: A Response to Claims of Endorsement of Slavery

God’s Three-Order Morality: A Response to Claims of Endorsement of Slavery

The accusation that God endorses slavery is a recurring critique, often rooted in misunderstandings of historical context, moral frameworks, and Biblical teachings. To engage this claim thoughtfully, we can look at God’s three-order morality: 1) Love and communion, 2) Justice and separation, and 3) Accommodation and guidance. These layers reveal a coherent moral structure in the Bible that neither endorses nor encourages slavery as we understand it today but, rather, outlines a progression toward justice, dignity, and freedom.

1. Love and Communion: God’s Highest Moral Order

At the core of God’s moral framework is the command to love. Jesus summarized this first order by declaring, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart... and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). This call to love and communion underpins the entire Biblical narrative, emphasizing that each person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

If love and mutual respect define God’s highest moral order, then any system of oppression or exploitation—including slavery—is inherently contrary to His ultimate design for humanity. Throughout the Bible, there is a clear trajectory toward liberation and the abolition of oppressive practices. For instance, God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery is an explicit rejection of oppression (Exodus 6:6). The Bible consistently upholds a vision where individuals honor and serve each other, rooted in love, not dominance or exploitation.

2. Justice and Separation: God’s Righteous Response to Evil

The second order of morality reflects God’s commitment to justice, which often includes a separation from evil practices. God’s justice requires the condemnation of sin, unrighteousness, and oppression. This moral order addresses the realities of human choices and societal structures that arise from a fallen world. Slavery, as an institution, evolved within human society, shaped by sin and moral corruption. While slavery was present in ancient cultures, God did not create or condone the exploitation inherent to such systems.

Instead, God’s justice actively works against human sinfulness, even within flawed social systems. For example, the New Testament’s teachings emphasize equality before God: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This principle undermines any notion of permanent subjugation based on ethnicity, gender, or social status, indicating that God’s justice stands against all forms of dehumanizing inequality.

3. Accommodation and Guidance: Working Within Fallen Structures

In God’s third moral order, we see His accommodation and guidance—His willingness to work within flawed human systems without endorsing them. The Bible’s “regulations” on slavery often fall into this category. These instructions are not endorsements but temporary accommodations within a world where slavery was an embedded reality. In the ancient Near East, slavery differed significantly from the race-based chattel slavery associated with modern history. Biblical accommodations were often structured to offer protection and rights to individuals within this institution, aiming to prevent abuse and exploitation (e.g., Exodus 21:20-21, Deuteronomy 15:12-15).

Additionally, God’s law often provided pathways to freedom and dignity. For instance, the Jubilee system (Leviticus 25:10) mandated the release of servants and the return of land, preventing perpetual cycles of poverty and bondage. In the New Testament, Paul’s letter to Philemon illustrates this progression: rather than demanding an immediate overhaul of societal structures, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother” (Philemon 1:16). This appeal exemplifies God’s ultimate desire for reconciliation and respect among all people.

Rebutting the Claim of Endorsement

With these three moral orders in mind, we see that God’s treatment of slavery is not an endorsement but a measured response within a fallen world. Through His ultimate love and call for communion, God sets a standard where love, equality, and respect are paramount. His justice opposes oppressive systems and insists on the value of every individual. And through accommodation, He offers pragmatic guidance to manage human sinfulness while leading humanity toward greater freedom and dignity.

To interpret God’s character as endorsing slavery ignores this progressive revelation and the way His moral framework actively dismantles oppressive structures. God’s three-order morality demonstrates a commitment to love, justice, and guidance, revealing a coherent response to human institutions marred by sin and a path forward in Christ that opposes all forms of oppression.

Objections and Responses

Objection 1: If God truly opposed slavery, why didn’t He explicitly prohibit it in the Bible?

Response: This question overlooks the historical and cultural context of the ancient Near East. In God’s three-order morality, His accommodations often recognize and work within human societies rather than imposing immediate prohibitions. In this context, slavery was a deeply ingrained institution, and outright prohibition would have been impractical or even counterproductive at the time. Instead, God’s laws laid a foundation for freedom and dignity, introducing reforms that restrained abuse and placed limitations on slavery. These accommodations reflect His desire to work within human limitations while steering societies toward love, justice, and respect for human dignity. The New Testament, in particular, emphasizes equality and undermines the institution by calling for a radical transformation in how people relate to each other as equals in Christ.

Objection 2: Regulations on slavery suggest endorsement—wouldn’t God’s involvement in any form mean He condones it?

Response: Guiding regulations are not the same as endorsement. God’s third moral order—accommodation and guidance—works within flawed human systems, managing them to prevent greater harm and abuse. The goal of these regulations was not to affirm slavery but to mitigate its worst abuses and ensure humane treatment within existing societal frameworks. Just as regulations on divorce (Matthew 19:8) did not mean God endorsed divorce but accommodated it due to human hardness of heart, so, too, did His regulations on slavery serve to humanize an institution in a broken world without indicating approval. Furthermore, God’s moral trajectory through Scripture consistently points toward liberation, culminating in the New Testament's teachings on spiritual equality, mutual love, and reconciliation.

Objection 3: Why would a morally perfect God allow any form of slavery in His people’s history?

Response: God allows human freedom and respects human agency, even when it leads to imperfect and unjust systems. He does not force immediate perfection in human societies but introduces His moral framework to gradually transform them. The three-order morality showcases this process: His first-order of love and communion is the ideal; the second-order of justice deals with the presence of sin; and the third-order of accommodation offers practical ways to guide societies toward His ideal, even while sin exists. Slavery in ancient Israel differed significantly from the race-based chattel slavery of recent centuries and was often a form of indentured servitude with protections and paths to freedom. God’s goal was to use His moral guidance to bring people closer to His ideal, as demonstrated in Christ’s message of universal equality and love.

Objection 4: Doesn’t Paul’s acceptance of slavery in the New Testament contradict the idea that God opposes it?

Response: Paul’s instructions regarding slavery do not endorse it as a divine ideal. Instead, his letters encourage mutual respect, equality, and brotherhood, concepts that ultimately undermine slavery. For example, in Philemon, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus not as a slave but as a “beloved brother” (Philemon 1:16), signaling a relationship transformation. In Galatians 3:28, he teaches that in Christ, “there is neither slave nor free,” emphasizing spiritual equality. Paul’s approach represents God’s third-order morality, which pragmatically engages with flawed human institutions while pointing to the higher ideal of equality in Christ. Rather than sparking immediate societal upheaval, Paul plants seeds that dismantle the justification for slavery at its core, transforming relationships from within.

Objection 5: If God’s ultimate morality leads to liberation, why didn’t Christianity abolish slavery sooner?

Response: The delay in abolishing slavery reflects human failure to live up to God’s standards, not a shortcoming of the Bible’s moral framework. Many Christian reformers, inspired by Biblical principles of love, justice, and human dignity, spearheaded abolition movements, recognizing that slavery was incompatible with God’s moral order. Figures like William Wilberforce and others interpreted Scripture’s vision of equality and freedom as a mandate to eliminate slavery. Additionally, institutional and cultural resistance slowed the pace of change, as entrenched economic and political interests opposed abolition. God’s three-order morality offers an ideal of liberation that human societies are often slow to fully realize, but history shows that Biblical principles have been a major catalyst for freedom when properly understood and applied.

Objection 6: Doesn’t the presence of slavery in the Bible weaken its moral authority?

Response: The presence of slavery in the Bible does not weaken its moral authority but highlights God’s method of engaging with a fallen world. Rather than imposing an idealistic standard all at once, God reveals His will progressively, guiding societies toward His vision of love, justice, and mutual respect. The Bible records humanity’s failures and God’s accommodations, showing a realistic and practical moral framework for a broken world. This approach demonstrates a compassionate and patient God who respects human agency while calling humanity to a higher standard over time. The Bible’s record of these accommodations serves as a testament to God’s ability to transform even deeply flawed systems, providing hope that all oppressive institutions can eventually be overcome in His plan.

Through these objections and responses, we see that God’s three-order morality does not endorse slavery but instead offers a roadmap toward justice, equality, and freedom—principles that have been increasingly realized as humanity aligns with His ultimate design for love and communion.

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