Freedom in Christ and in the World
On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger officially proclaimed the news that all slaves were free in Texas, the last holdout of slavery in the United States. Because Texas had seen less fighting and presence of Union soldiers than other states, it took a long time for the news to finally reach the slaves there. General Lee had already surrendered. The war was over, but that didn’t stop slave owners from continuing their horrifying, inhumane practices. But on June 19th, that all changed. Of course, it took some time for the word to circulate, plantation owners weren’t exactly excited to share this news with their slaves, but this marked the beginning of the end. The last bastion of slavery had officially fallen.
Juneteenth finally became a federal holiday last year, marking the day when we finally put an end to the sin of slavery and moved forward, progressing toward the ideals upon which our country were founded, liberty and justice for everyone. Unfortunately, as much as we have a dark history as Americans with regard to slavery, Christians also have a hand in this evil. While there were certainly abolitionist Christians, people have always done a great job of justifying evil if they benefit from it. Antebellum Christians were no exceptions. Many theories were advanced to justify slavery, and though they seem bizzare today, they were adopted by Christian leaders at the time. General Leonidas Polk was an Episcopalian Bishop and slave owner who joined the Confederate Army and was quickly commissioned as a major-general. But how could a leader of the church not only fight for the side supporting slavery but also own slaves himself?
Racism had been a powerful tool in excusing slavery. Many people believed, or at least claimed to believe, that black people were intellectually inferior. They thought that slavery was actually a way to help them. Robert E. Lee wrote about this in a letter to his wife:
“The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially, and physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing is necessary for their instruction as a race, and, I hope will prepare and lead them to better things.”
But in addition to using racism to justify slavery, some Christians used the Bible itself. Unfortunately, the Bible seems to be pretty unclear on the issue, if not outright supportive of slavery. The Old Testament has regulations about under what circumstances one could sell a family member into slavery. It also includes some pretty ugly passages excusing beating slaves as long as they didn’t die. The New Testament speaks about slavery, though usually suggesting that slaves submit to their masters or simply using the word “slave” to refer to Christians in their role as servants of God. Our epistle reading for this week engages with the topic of slavery in some interesting ways.
Intially, Paul encourages Christians to throw off the yoke of slavery and never again submit to it. As much as this may appear clear, it isn’t as simple as we would like. Paul isn’t talking about the institution of slavery as we understand it. He is referring to slavery to the Law, ritual purity. His argument is that Christians don’t need to become Jewish to join the community, but are free to seek Christ exactly as they are. This isn’t exactly an obvious condemnation of slavery.
He then goes on to suggest that we should “through love become slaves to one another.” At this point, we may feel like Paul is outright endorsing slavery. We should be seeking to become slaves, not to be liberated. Why should slaves complain about their lot when this is exactly what God wants them to be? Should slaves not lovingly serve? If we already set free in Christ, then we don’t need to seek further liberation, whether that be economic or legal.
However, this interpretation also misses the point. Paul calls us to be slaves “to one another.” There is an expected mutuality. I am your slave only inasmuch as you are my slave. We agree to selflessly serve each other with love and respect. We freely give of ourselves, our time and treasures, to improve the lives of others, knowing that others will do the same for us. And in a fully liberated society that takes seriously the call of God’s kingdom, this would be true and effective. We wouldn’t need to worry about anything. We could freely work for others knowing that all of our needs would be met. Unfortunately, that isn’t the world we live in.
The problem with applying this passage to slavery as we have seen it in the world is that slavery isn’t mutual. Slaves served their masters but it didn’t work the other way around, not in any meaningful way. There was an unagreed upon hierarchy that was forced upon one side, and the benefit was not equal. Slaves put in much more than they received in return, while their masters became incredibly wealthy. Masters gave up little of what they had to the slaves, justifying the exploitation with arguments that were all founded upon refusing to listen to or acknowledge slaves as equals.
The same may be said for the exceptionally wealthy and powerful today. They may act like every person is equal, but most of them would not sacrifice to the point of being practical equals with the poor. To give up their own vast wealth and power such that they are vulnerable to the pitiful discomforts of the poor and powerless would be unthinkable. As much as they may claim equality, they would never actually submit to it if there were any real cost.
This is not to say that the rich and powerful are more cruel by an order of magnitude than anyone else, nor am I suggesting that they are an entirely distinct kind of evil, but the inequality and hierarchy fundamental to our society makes Paul’s use of slavery confusing here. We can’t imagine everyone willing being slaves to each other, no matter how much millionaires may speak about their “servant leadership.”
Ultimately, I don’t think we can really say that Paul is endorsing slavery in any way that we would understand it. The slavery that Paul calls for is mutual and voluntary, a society in which everyone engages equally in giving of themselves for the sake of everyone else. No one gathers all power and profit to themselves. No one is crushed and exploited. Everyone mutually gives and takes. Love generates a community of equal selfless service. This is something we can only dream of now, but while we wait for God’s kingdom to come in its fullness, we can look at the places where this equality and mutuality is lacking in our world and proclaim the liberating Gospel message. We no longer need to seek power or wealth for ourselves or worship it in others. Christ sets us free to serve as equals. All may be slaves, but there are no masters save God alone, and the yoke of God is one of liberation. In God’s kingdom, we are, all of us, free. May greed, hate, and all powers of evil that keep us away from this dream hear this good news and tremble.
