Does the Bible condone slavery? Critics of Christianity point to passages in both the Old and New

Testaments that seem to lend credence to this idea. Stay tuned to hear Dr. David K. Bernard's response to

these arguments. Welcome to Apostolic Life in the 21st Century, a podcast dedicated to helping

modern-day believers live out the teachings of the

first century church.

This podcast is part of the teaching ministry of Dr. David K. Bernard.

Dr. Bernard is dedicated his life to studying the Bible and helping believers apply its message

to their daily lives.

Thank you for joining us for this episode.

Some critics argue that the Bible is an outdated and even barbaric book because in their minds it condones slavery.

So Old Testament patriarchs like Abraham, for example, of course we know that he owns slaves.

And if you look in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul seems to defend the practice.

For example,

in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 5, he wrote, slaves obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear, serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. And then a few verses later, he says,

masters treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them. Remember, you both have the same

master in heaven, and he has no favorites. Paul uses

similar language, of course, in other passages. And then Antibelum Slave Masters in the United States,

they use passages like this, of course, to justify and condone their actions and to even argue

that slavery was a manifestation of God's will. Does the Bible condone slavery? And if it does,

isn't that proof that it's an outdated immoral book? The Bible does not condone slavery.

And so let's talk about that. By the way, I have a new book coming out in the fall called

Anchor Points. And it's a series of essays on

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