I feel like often Christians will, in the context of slavery, or those trying to use the religion opportunistically, tell you the narrative about how God set the Jews free from their captors, the Egyptians. It’s a captivating, uplifting story that can inspire downtrodden people everywhere. Except what they tend to leave out is how the Jews struggled. They leave out how most of them ended up dead, and Moses himself never even made it to the good land. Israel had slaves.
Going to the New Testament,
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; (Eph. 6:5)
The Recovery Bible goes,
Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;
A commentary on the Bible notes,
The term does not refer so much to hired servants, as slaves, of whom there were many millions in the Roman Empire at that time. These were of all races, prisoners taken in war, or their children.
The Lord instructed people to honor their government.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (Rom. 13:1-2)
“Higher powers” means government. Again, Recovery version,
Let every person be subject to the authorities over him, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are ordained by God. So then he who resists the authority opposes God’s ordination, and those who oppose will receive judgment to themselves.
Now, masters have to follow proper conduct as well, but to say Christianity is fundamentally opposed to human bondage I think is a bit disingenuous. Though, what that doesn’t mean is an endorsement.
