Slavery is in the Bible. There, I said it. Many people though misinterpret the term and equate it with our modern view of slavery. Meaning we make the hermeneutical sin of importing our own culture and understanding of terms into the biblical narrative. So what does the Old Testament and New Testament actually mean when it says 'slave'? Is it this oppressive, inhumane interpretation that we have or is it something else? More importantly, does God condone slavery - since His people often participated in it? Do the NT writers approve of slavery as well? These are all great questions, but in reality there is a question behind the question, isn’t there? So, lets really get down to it. If we're being honest, when we ask what the Bible says about slavery, what we're really asking is if God is racist, if His people are racist...if Christianity promotes racism. Well, does it? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. How difficult is it for you to see 'slave' as a neutral term rather than a negative one? 2. What does Paul's words, "see him more than a bond-servant but as a beloved brother" mean for us today? How can it be applied to our everyday life? 3. What does it mean to truly be a 'slave' to Christ?