Human Slavery

Have you ever considered this whole notion of human slavery? I'm not talking about the angry accusations that blacks and whites hurl against each other, or even the struggle for freedom waged by the blacks in America. For you see, slavery is much older than that. In fact, slavery has never really been about race - except in America. Really? So what has it been about?

If you look at the history of human slavery, you'll find that there have been, thus far in the space of human history, four (4) different types of slavery. Let's see what each of them is about.

First, we find the Old Testament slavery, that we found among the Israelites. The first block of commandments after the Ten Commandments, seems to be about laws to protect the slaves. Slavery in Israel was very limited though. Households had slaves, but it wasn't really part of the economy. Still, it wasn't something you'd want to embrace. There were still abuses; Sarah abused Hagar, for example. But in general Old Testament slavery was pretty benign.

Second, we move to the Greco-Roman world of slavery. It was completely different, especially in terms of abuse. Not until the end were there any protections for the slaves. It was chattel slavery. You would die in slavery; your situation (as a slave) was hopeless. Sexual and physical abuse - or even murder - was a normal part of it too.

Some people think that this "New Testament slavery" was quite different from the African-American slavery that came years later. But there were important similarities. Chief among them was this notion that it was chattel slavery. In both cultures, when you were bought or sold, your name was changed and you would lose more of your identity. Even the instructions on care and feeding of slaves were a one-shirt-a-year kind of thing.

This Greco-Roman world of slavery was perhaps the worst that history has known. It was the era that Jesus Christ entered. And the more we can study the Roman influence at the time, the more we can see that it was truly a monstrous age. The abuses were grisly and grotesque. Still, there were people in the midst of that who would take a stand for principles and what's right. And one has to wonder if their taking a stand didn't have a real impact on bringing that era to an end.

Third, we have the African-American age of slavery. This of course is the one we are most familiar with. And it would seem that black Americans are more familiar with it than any of the rest of us too. It was very much like the Roman era slavery - where slaves were chattels to be bought and sold. Perhaps the primary difference here was that the slave owners themselves tended to be more civilized and humane in their treatment of the slaves. While some were abusive and cruel, there were also stories of slaves who didn't want to leave their owners when they were set free.

Ironically, this is the era of slavery that we seem to be paying a very high price for. In fact, how the people were enslaved, how they were treated during their enslavement, and how they were set free all have had extenuating repercussions for society as a whole. They've been less educated, more prone to poverty, more prone to violence, and often have had to struggle harder to make their way in our capitalistic society. While no one wants to blame their history on their struggles, it is hard to deny the apparent differences in how they live today compared to people groups that were never enslaved in the first place.

The fourth form of slavery is the current variety. It seems to be largely focused on sex and domestic trafficking. And while it isn't part of the formal economy, it has a much broader economic impact that most of us would imagine. Perhaps you're not aware of the fact that slavery is still a problem in our modern world. Why, you may be asking, am I writing about slavery in 2010?

The State Department of the United States of America has an entire division focused on, among other things, human freedoms. Naturally slavery is a part of their study. In fact, the State Department issues an annual report on human trafficking.

You can download the State Dept. report at http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm. But prepare yourself. It's a voluminous report. It's also very sad. Most of the victims are woman and children. In some cases, more than 50% of the people being enslaved are children - being enslaved for sex or war.

The U.S. State Dept. Report on Human Trafficking lists, country-by-country, the import and export of slaves for sexual and domestic, or even military purposes. It also digs into the laws of each country to protect people against enslavement, and analyzes how well those laws are enforced. Let's look at just a few highlights from this most recent State Dept. report.

There are more slaves now than at any other time in human history. Last year, more people became slaves than in the entire 300 years of African-American slavery. The report assigns each country a rating, based on the growth in imports and/or exports of slaves and the government's record of fighting this. (See the list at http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123132.htm.)

In the first category, the best countries have strong records of fighting slavery, and don't exhibit alarming growth rates. They include places like Australia, Canada and the U.S.

The second category are countries that don't comply with international standards to fight slavery, but their governments are making serious efforts and they seem to be effective - because growth rates are not alarming. Countries like Indonesia, Japan and South Africa.

The third category are countries where the number of victims is severe and increasing substantially - and the governments appear to be doing nothing about it. This list includes countries like China, Egypt and India.

The fourth category are countries with deplorable records in slavery. It's serious and their governments aren't even pretending to do anything about it. This list includes places like Kuwait, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Examine the List
Now, maybe you don't think much of this list. But I think there are two important points here that we should all care about.

First, this is not just a third world issue. Human trafficking is a problem in every part of the world, regardless of economic conditions, forms of government, religion or any other perceived impact factor. A case in point would be the fact that an estimated 17,000 people are trafficked for slavery in the United States each year. (Some estimates range as high as 50,000 per year!) And it is mostly slaves being brought in to be sold to (enslaved by) Americans. (Shame on us.)

Second, many of the countries where the problem is most prevalent are countries that we see as our "allies." Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are among the worst offenders. We buy tons of oil from Saudi Arabia and consider them an important ally. We bailed Kuwait's butt out when Iraq invaded and took them over years ago. China and India are perhaps our most important trading partners. And both have dismal records. So it would appear that we'll cozy up to and do business with anyone, regardless of their standards of civilization. (Shame on us.)

Folks, slavery is not dead. And we can talk all day about the problem of racism in America. But the sad reality is that racism in America and the plight of African-Americans descended from slaves are just symptoms of the real problem.

Slavery is a bigger problem today than it ever was for the black slaves in America. Why is that? Because no president can set today's slaves free. Those people enslaved today have little reason for hope. In fact, perhaps their only source of hope is that you and I would care enough to pray, to donate, to fight and to take a stand for them.

Jesus said that we are to "Love your neighbor as you would yourself." (Matthew 22:39)

Will we?

Cell Phone Slavery

Have you ever sat amongst a group of people - and observed that you are absolutely the only one who stands out? You're amongst what would seem to be a group of peers, of like-minded individuals who probably share similar lives. But then you notice something so remarkable, so profound. You know in an instant that you different. I have those moments frequently now. They are always centered around the cell phone, or the Blackberry - both insidious devices that infiltrate life as many know it.

I went to an outdoor museum recently with my family. It was a weekday afternoon, and we were strolling through the woods looking at outdoor exhibits of wild animals. And there she was. A young mother, walking by herself, talking up a storm on her cell phone ... while her little girl wandered aimlessly behind her. The mother seemed not to notice how far the girl was behind her. The girl seemed not to notice how far ahead her mother was. I wondered if this is really what the mother had in mind when she planned an afternoon outing to the museum with her daughter.

Another time I called on a high-ranking executive at Citibank in New York. We flew in for this meeting, spending thousands of dollars in travel and lodging expenses. We were welcomed to a lofty perch in their Manhattan skyscraper, and shortly greeted by the executive we had come to see. A few other executives were in the room as well, so it was a good group and promised to be an excellent meeting. And then it happened. Early into the slide presentation, you noticed that this particular executive spent most of her time looking into her lap. Peering over the conference table, I discovered that infamous Blackberry. She spent most of the meeting looking at the Blackberry, reading and responding to e-mails. I wondered if this is what she really had in mind when she scheduled this meeting. "You fly to New York, spend days preparing, and present important things to me. I'll ignore you and do e-mails." Is that what she really had in mind?

I was with a group of executives today, in another large, east coast city. Out of four of us, I noticed that at lunch I was the only one who wasn't constantly checking my Blackberry for e-mail or phone messages. I wondered why that was. They had said, "Let's go to lunch so we can talk about this." Instead, we went to lunch and they did e-mails while I ate and watched them. Was this what they really had in mind?

My wife and I had an appointment the other day. She had her cell phone on and said as we were parking that she would change it to the "vibrate" setting. She was expecting a call. I pointed out to her that even setting it to vibrate would indicate that whomever was calling her would be more important than who we'd be meeting with. "Do you really want to send that message, honey?" She turned the cell phone off. I was so proud of her!

When you are sitting with me, and your cell phone vibrates, I notice that you check it. You're looking to see if, by chance, someone more important than me wants to talk to you. If your child or spouse were in intensive care, I might understand. But you should understand something about me. When I meet with you, I turn my cell phone off. I leave my cell phone in the car. I'm intentional about this time I have to spend with you. I don't want to squander that opportunity to know you, to hear you, to relate to you. And I wonder - why you don't turn your cell phone off too. Do you really intend not to do those things with me?

We are enslaved by our cell phones. These wonderful little marvels of technology are keeping us in constant ... chronic communication. However, they are keeping us out of important relationships. While they help us communicate, they absolutely prevent us from relating.

I could go on, but I think you get my point - so I won't. Let me just say that knowing you, relating to you and hearing you are far more important than communicating with you. So - won't you please turn off your cell phone for a while?

Black in America

Okay, I'm confused. I have to admit that there's something I seriously don't get. I've grown up with racism being an issue in my country. I simply don't understand why that is the case. More to the point, I cannot comprehend the perspective that others seem to have this subject in. To me it looks a lot different than I imagine it does for most.

I'm about to say some things that are going to sound offensive to some. You'll find no apology for what I'm about to say though. It's sincere and I believe the product of rational thinking --- and questioning. (I've always believed that questioning is a good thing.)

Let's start with the definition of black here in America. Presidential candidate Barack Obama, for example, is described as black. He had a white mother and a black father. How does that make him black? Isn't he as much white as he is black? Others play the same card. Halle Barry, for example. She's a beautiful celebrity, a model. Even white men fancy her. She calls herself black. We call her black. Born of a bi-racial couple, why isn't she called bi-racial?

It seems to me that in times past, when black wasn't such a good thing, people wanted to be white. But now that blacks have a great deal of equality, being black is in. So even the white people want to be black. I don't get that. And the cynical side of me supposes that they are only black when it's convenient. What about the poor people who truly are black and don't get to choose? Isn't that what's really unfair?

I'll be 50 years old this year. I've grown up listening to the rhetoric on racism, racial issues, equality for blacks, African-American issues, etc. I don't think anyone could be proud of how America treated its slaves. Then again, when I read my Bible, I'm not sure that slaves were treated any better in Biblical times. And to be clear, God's chosen people had slaves back then. What is the difference? Did the Israelites sue Egypt and demand an apology? When slaves were freed, did they go around demanding justice for what had happened to them?

The question I'm really trying to pose here is whether or not we really have the slavery and racism issue in America screwed on right. Or do we have it out of whack? Can human beings expected to make a social transition any faster than we have made it since the slaves were freed here? It's a reasonable question. Where else in history did a society free all of its slaves and treat them as equals? How long did it take to accomplish that. Might our expectations be just a bit unrealistic?

Finally, I've been to Africa. I've seen how the African people live. For the most part, it isn't good. It seems to me that if their ancestors had been enslaved in America, those people today would be living a lot better than they are. Does anyone ever stop to think of that? Isn't it possible that this horrible slavery and racism struggle ultimately put the black people in this country in a better place than they would have been otherwise? (The answer is yes, by the way.)

I don't consider myself racist. In fact, I have deep commitments to and relationships with people of color in this country and in Africa. But I have to say that I am sick of racism being the trump card for everything in America. The reality check is that sometimes imperfect humans can only shed their biases and re-train their thinking so fast.

Are the black radicals in America willing to give us grace for that?