Free Indeed
Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick writes in Prism Magazine about modern slavery and what the church can and should do to stop it.
As I read the article, I experienced a sense of loss for the passion that the abolitionists in the 19th century had for defending the poor and fighting slavery. There is tremendous work being done by members of the church all over the world, but I sense a lack of the same unity and clarity of vision that inspired our predecessors. Maybe the effects of the Enlightenment are finally wearing off, or have been replaced by consumerism and politics.
It is important to note how strongly connected the mainstream evangelical church is to Western capitalism. In contrast, Austin’s vision of a radical, liberating church united in deed against oppression is compelling. Check it out.
April 23rd, 2006 at 2:16 pm
What a well researched, thouroughly written, passionate call to Christians to pick up where our spiritual forerunners left off 150 years ago. Excellent article. I especially appreciated Austin’s insight that the Church enjoys major economic power that can be leveraged against countries and corporations that function with slavery at some level in their economic cycle.
One idea that comes to mind is a central website where all instances of corporations benefiting from the practice of slavery can be listed, along with the products or services they sell, so we avoid supporting them with our purchases. Or to take it even further, we could boycott companies that establish operation centers in countries where slavery is still permitted, de facto, such as India, as Austin pointed out.
And awarness is huge, as well. I was educated more about modern slavery by Austin’s article in one 15 minute read more than all I’ve heard or read in the last year.
Much like America and England a century and a half ago, modern slavery will suffer it’s final blow when people within their own nations rise up against corrupt and evil rulers. But we can certainly do our part here, as Jesus commands and empowers us to do so, to get the ball rolling. I’m so glad we serve a loving, just God.