Question:
Does the Bible sustain slavery or involuntary servitude?
Answer:
The Bible sustains nothing but what is of Christlikeness of character. But whom the Son makes free is free indeed. The freedom of Christ knows no kind of slavery, and this is the only condition of man sustained by the Bible. God permitted slavery and, at the same time, mitigated it as far as possible. And that mitigated form among the Israelites, imperfect as they were, was better than citizenship among outside nations. God has also permitted sin, and at the same time, in His great mercy, He has restrained it and mitigated its effects. But He has never sustained either sin or slavery.
In 1807, a group of clergymen in England condensed the King James Bible for use by missionaries and slaveholders. “The Slave Bible,” as it was called, contained only passages that promoted obedience to “masters” and government officials. It was compiled three years after the slave revolt in Haiti, 27 years before British slaves became “apprentices,” 33 years before that transitional phase was eliminated in British colonies, and 58 years before slavery in the United States was ended. In its original form, “The Slave Bible” was intended as a primer for teaching slaves how to read and for missionaries to introduce Christianity in British colonies that are now part of The Commonwealth of Nations. It had more limited use in the United States, but the same practice of selective reading was widely used.
Approximately 90% of the New and Old Testaments were removed because they were considered dangerous to the interests of the masters and of the government. This book was blatant propaganda that sought to make slavery a Divine dictate and revealed what masters had rationalized as reasons for their behavior. Inducing “theophobia”—irrational fear of God—was its primary goal. By instilling the fear of God’s wrath in their converts, slave owners and the governments that supported the missionaries could shape those converts to their advantage.
Because it was feared that their contents could provoke rebellion, 957 of the 1189 chapters of the King James Version were not included. Many chapters and verses in the included books were also omitted.
In addition to the many chapters and verses that “The Slave Bible” omitted, the following books were omitted entirely:
| OLD TESTAMENT | NEW TESTAMENT |
| Leviticus | Mark |
| 2 Samuel | Colossians |
| 2 Chronicles | 2 Thessalonians |
| Ezra | Philemon |
| Nehemiah | 2 Peter |
| Esther | 2 John |
| Song of Solomon | 3 John |
| Amos | Jude |
| Obadiah | Revelation |
| Jonah | |
| Micah | |
| Nahum | |
| Habakkuk | |
| Zephaniah | |
| Haggai | |
| Zechariah | |
| Malachi |
The authors of “The Slave Bible” accurately quoted The King James Bible in the selected verses, creating a false narrative by omitting crucial details and context. Its books, chapters, and verses stressed obedience to authority, humility, self-control, and the subservience of “servants” as virtues that lead to wisdom and eternal salvation.
After the U.S. Civil War, former slaves were sometimes conflicted regarding their freedom from bondage because of the abbreviated version of Christianity they were taught. But when they were shown the Scriptures formerly used to enslave them in their proper context, the embrace of those passages previously denied them set their minds free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32).
