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Whenever Christians bring up a moral principle in our cultural conversation, they are often met with the charge that the church was complicit in the Crusade massacres, slavery and discrimination. So, what really happened historically? What does Scripture says about these issues? And, how should Christians respond to the difficult chapters in the church’s history? Here are my thoughts.
Persuasion Points:
- Admit the Facts.
- Point people to Jesus and Scripture.
- Recognize that all ideologies and institutions have been similarly coopted.
- Point to the great and often forgotten good created by the church.
Key Takeaways:
- A study of Scripture related to the issue of slavery.
- The ideological underpinning of ethnocentrism and discrimination in the 20th century (and it wasn’t the New Testament)!
- The key lessons from the “60’s problem”: we must not be swallowed up or intimidated by the pressures of our cultural moment! If we are silent or complicit in the worst ideas of our times, our gospel witness will be damaged!
This is part 1 of a 2-part study.
Here’s the companion video.
Need a copy of the book? Persuasion Points: Practical Responses to Culture’s Toughest Questions: https://amzn.to/31qvAuv.
Josh, I really wonder about this topic. Since people are so uninformed these days, are there really those who will bring up these awful events? I will study your post though and be ready—-just in case. But also Because I want to know the answers myself. Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I apologize for the delay in responding. I certainly wish the church’s moral authority was not being questioned, but I hear this objection to the Christian church or at least Biblical principles all the time. There are several recent projects that have highlighted this, including the 1619 Project from the New York Times, the Harriet movie (highly recommend by the way) and other news pieces like this: https://time.com/5171819/christianity-slavery-book-excerpt/. Also, other apologetics ministries such as Ravi Zacharias’ ministry have addressed this topic https://www.rzim.org/read/rzim-global/how-can-i-trust-the-bible-when-it-was-used-to-justify-slavery. Hope this is helpful.