The Abolition Of Slavery

In the Nineteenth century the discussion of American slavery in Christian circles reached a climax regarding whether American slavery resembled God’s ordained slavery—stated within Mosaic Law and later affirmed in the epistles—or the oppressive slavery practiced by many heathen nations. Abolition or regulation of racial, chattel slavery required the newly established American church to set a protocol in the use of the interpretation of Scripture to procure God’s regulation of social issues. This forum on the issue of slavery set Christian praxis, which the modern church still uses to dictate its protest against modern social justice issues. Nineteenth century biblical hermeneutics in connection with advocacy of slavery or Abolition relied
Henry Highland Garnet, a free African, forcefully criticized the Christianity of slavery advocates. “The first dealings they had with men calling themselves Christians exhibited to them the worst features of corrupt and sordid hearts: and convinced them that no cruelty is too great, no villainy and no robbery too abhorrent for even enlightened men to perform, when influenced by avarice and lust.” (Garnet, 151). This critique raises the question whether slave masters were concerned with Scriptural authority or were possessed by greed and authority. Garnet also theorizes that the abuse and restricted rights of Africans allows slave masters to dehumanize their slaves. While Garnet does not quote any Scripture in his address, his cry for equality and Abolition reveals a theology deeply rooted in Scripture. “God will not receive slavery, nor ignorance, nor any other state of mind, for love and obedience to Him.”
Slave’s Abolition arguments evoked pathos as they explained their suffering and hope in God. The “Dialogue Between Moses, Pharaoh, and Others” in The Colored American reveals that slaves did not just exegete scripture, but also associated themselves with other suffering characters in the Bible. Although this style of interpretation is not as advanced as the hermeneutics of slavery advocates, this narrative exhibits the style of biblical teaching that could understand and interpreted by both educated and uneducated slaves. It is easy to see how the Scriptural themes of hope encouraged slaves to hope for the Sovereign God’s deliverance. “God claims them as HIS ‘All souls are His.’ Will you contend with God?” (Cornish, 1). This method of Scripture reading not only allowed slaves to find hope in the account of deliverance, but also incorporated modern pro-slavery arguments in the historical story. While these accounts lacked scholarly exegesis, the slaves experience allowed them to express poignant morality arguments that aligned with God’s redemptive story revealed through