Slavery
A fundamental human condition first introduced to humankind through the Liberty given Adam to follow God’s instruction. Since introduced, the human franchise of Slavery must be recognized and dealt with on an individual basis. Slavery itself is not a sin, but the glaring fruit of a sinful nature. Calling slavery sin is nothing more than calling God a liar. II Peter 2:19 aptly says, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants (slaves) of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage (slavery)”. Of all the hundreds of references to slave and slavery in Holy Scripture never once is the franchise condemned as sin. On the contrary, Scripture is full of instruction regarding stewardship (Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; 4:1). In ancient Western Civilization, the very term became familiar from the prodigious theft of Slavic people by the Semites. Inherent in the institution has always been the understanding that the alternative is death; and that as a slave the prospect of life was more preferable than the alternative. Slavery for a defeated soldier certainly was an improvement over the alternative. Much of the muscle of Americas founding came from white slaves called indenture servants who sold themselves for the opportunity of freedom at some future time. In some cultures, individuals would sell themselves or their children into slavery for a better life. Scripture teaches that Joseph was sold in slavery by his brothers and ultimately became Prime minister of Egypt (Genesis 27:38;41:41). A confusing legalism brought about through tax definition is the term “chattel” which implies complete ownership for tax purposes. Concerning American Slavery it is vital to remember that the trade was responsible for the foundation of yankee wealth, which led to their totally corrupt lust for power. There were no Confederate American slave ships. For only yankee ships, flying yankee flags, engaged in the purchase of Africans from Africans for yankee distilled rum, plied the trade for obscene profit, depositing 95% of their human cargoes in the West Indies, Caribbean or South America. Slaves in the Southern States of the American Union were in the majority of instances free to earn extra income, to marry, to attend worship services and were protected by State laws. The greatest hardship a Southern slaveholder faced was one of stewardship. How do you release an illiterate savage into civilized culture and expect him to function or prosper; particularly when you have tremendous investment in his care? Southern history has been maligned; the system was set to expire under its own weight and did not require an invasion. Why for example are we not told by academics about the thousands of Black Confederate Soldiers or the absence of Black insurrection? No, it is important for government maleducators to tarnish Southern History in order to elevate yankee motive. It is also instructive to note that the father of African Slavery in Virginia was Anthony Johnson, a black man. Slavery is alive and well today in the old form of human bondage and in the new form of absentee ownership.