MIke, this topic is one of my soap boxes, but I'll try not to stand on too long here!   :)    The Bible is made up of 66 different writings, by many authors, all inspired, but none omniscient.  All were writing within a particular context (a personal letter to a particular church, for example), and none had any inkling of an idea that 2000 or more years later, people on the other side of the earth would be basically "worshipping" their writings.  The Bible is the inspired Word of God, miraculously preserved and handed down throughout the centuries, and of utmost importance to the Christian life.  However, there is much in the Bible that we know now is not accurate, because the knowledge we have of the universe is much greater today.  For example, we now know the earth is round, and there are not "four corners of the earth."  This was not an error, on the writer's part. It was unknown in his time and culture.  (I think God knew the earth was round, but He didn't tell the writer.) 

These inaccuracies do not shake my faith in the least.  What shakes our faith is not what the Bible says, but our own expectations of it and our own interpretations.  A responsible reading of the Bible does not assume that every word was written directly to me in 2007 America.  A responsible interpretation looks at the place and time it was written, who wrote it, the intent of the author, the audience, the interpretation that first audience would have had, the original language, etc.  With an intelligent study of the Bible, we don't have to be concerned that the Bible may not come out looking credible.  It IS credible, and where there are problems, it is not the Bible that owns them.  It is the interpretation our churches have placed on it.  It is impossible to read anything without personal interpretation.  We all read through the glasses of what our past spiriutal leaders have taught us, and our own experiences. 

Horshack has some good points. Kathy's I can't figure out, as usual. As to being politically active I agree with The Wyatt (as usual) that we live in (well not a democratic) but rather Republican form of Government and that our politics must be taken in that context. Paul was in a Roman context. Within our context we have freedom to do a whole lot politically. Remember, that while we ar citizens of Heaven we are also citizens of our own communities, our counties, our states, and our national govenment. IOW, we have a multiplicity of citizenships. Just as Paul used his citizenship "rights" so should we use ours.

 Oh...i just followed Mike's link back...yes, I have to totally disagree in that regards too...I think that MacArthur and Co. have this one wrong on politics totally. While politics is NEVER our salvation it is our duty before God to vote and vote right (according to God's laws), IMVHO. See above for multiple citizenships.

Now, I certainly would never argue from the Philosophical basis that Horshack is coming from (it appears....unless I'm misreading it, that he's coming at it from the heresy of neoorthodoxy, etc.??) but I certainly can not follow Kathy's understanding of it. It seems as if she is trying to apply the culture to the Bible rather than the Bible to the culture in the argument.

I think one needs to look at just what this slavery is....what indentured servitude was...etc. 

The above is a "thus saith the Lord", so there you have it straight from God. The message is tied to Israel's empty religion though, the implication being that they would practice the ritual of fasting and then immediately return to a live apart from God, adulterous living. So their religion was meaningless and empty. Look at the action words in this passage! Loose, untie, set free, break. This is not the language of lobbyists and politicians, this is the language of interacting directly with those in bondage, using fingers, hands, arms to aid the "oppressed".

Verse 7 continues;

This is strikingly similar to Matt 25:

But I'm not sure if this really corresponds well with political action either. The Lord clearly indicates that person to person interaction is necessary if we are to answer the Lord's call and fulfill the Lord's mission. Being an educated voter is ok, and donating money to organizations that seek an end to world slavery is good, but I wonder if more is required of us? Politics often pits brother against brother, but who can question us when we roll up our sleeves and lend a hand directly? Mother Theresa is a sacred world icon not because of her theology or her voice, but because of her actions on behalf of those in bondage (to poverty).

Thanks for all the great points thus far, this is an exciting dialogue!  ~mike

I said I wasn't going to log on tonight, but here I am.  And since I'm the one who got quoted (well  kind of although I have to say it was a bit out of context)

What if by speaking up, you could have prevented Hitler from exterminating all of the Jews he did?

What if by speaking up, you could have ended slavery?

Now before you say, I don't think that could have been me, ask yourself this.  Who did?  The movie Amazing Grace is coming out on DVD in August, so I hear.  Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see it in the theaters, but from everything I've heard it's an incredible story about an incredible man who fought and fought and fought to end slavery in England.  And did it through politics.  And yes he actually did write the song "Amazing Grace".

Or go read "Under God"* by the members of dc Talk if you think men (and women) of God didn't have a hand in ending slavery in this country.  And that none of it happened through politics.

There's got to be a balance.  We can't say we're all about love and then watch innocent children get killed because of abortion.  We can't say we believe in the sanctity of marriage and than stand by and idly watch as others try to destroy it.  We can't say we're for Good and than step back and watch evil creep in because politics is an dirty word.  People are watching.

And we've either got to be involved in the making of the laws or very soon we'll have to be breaking the laws to continue to be true to God.

And that's all I've got to say about that. ;)

Cheers,

-Norm 

* - Just to be clear, "Under God" is a book of short stories about our country's history.  Slavery is definitely a topic, but it isn't the only topic.

What if there are 2 posts in the time it took to write mine. (I wasn't ignoring you, they just weren't there yet)

Just to let you know.  And now I really am done saying anything for the evening. 

In order to proclaim liberty to the captives, that kinda implies that there are always going to be captives to proclaim liberty to, doesn't it?  I mean kinda like how Jesus said "The poor you will always have with you..."?  I'm totally opposed to slavery, and I think if I ever encountered any face to face I'd probably go all B.C. on 'em (those practicing slavery).  If I was ever seriously approached to speak or do something about the issue politically, I'd absolutely jump on it.  But in the meantime, I think the Bible is clear that our instructions are to preach liberty to the captives wherever we may come across them.

It isn't an eternally joyful thing when enslaved sinners become politically-freed sinners.  It is an eternally joyful thing when sinners of any brand -- slave or free -- receive freedom from their sin-bondage through Christ.

To take it one step further, I think that if we were to take an honest look at slaves worldwide that have received Christ as Savior, we'd probably be ashamed to find that they have grown much stronger and more mature through their lack and hardship than we have in our plenty and freedom.  We should be sitting at the feet of such "saved slaves", most of whom are still in their physical bondage, rather than propping ourselves up on spiritual high-horses thinking that we have one up on them.

To those in slavery who are yet to know the Lord, we should take them His message and seek to make disciples of them.  To those in slavery who already know Him, we should pray the Lord would grant us time to sit and learn from them some of the weightier and more important matters of the faith, such as peace, joy, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...wait, I think I've heard of those things before.  Oh yeah...they're in the chapter of the NT most associated with Liberty.  Go figure.

So who are the slaves, really?

I have a friend who is going through a divorce.  She would call herself a Christian, though I don't see any fruits.  As I listened to her tell her story last night, the choice was presented to me:  do I strive to repair her marriage or do I present her with the real Christ?  I have a strong desire to aim for the former, but I know only the latter will achieve the former, if it's in God's will.  Divorce, in my friend's case, is a symptom.  The problem is her relationship with Jesus.

Why do I mention this?  Slavery is a symptom, not the problem.  If the individual changes from the inside-out, slavery, divorce, smoking, drinking, video games, television, cussing, rage -- all that will change automatically as the Spirit slowly sanctifies the individual and produces Good Fruits.

Man, this was one good conversation!