A Challenging Reflection
Current Knowledge and Belief
I’ve been wrestling with how to understand colonialism and slavery — not as simple evils or goods, but as complex realities that shaped the world and faith as we know it. I believe that the nature of colonialism is a mix of evil, neutral, and good. There were evil intentions, such as a thirst for power and the pursuit of wealth at the expense of human dignity and exploitation. Some motives were neither clearly good nor evil — like the basic human drive to secure a future for one’s family. In his book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, Nigel Biggar explains how colonialism didn’t happen with a single driver: “Anti-colonialists often talk about the ‘colonial project’, as if an empire such as the British one was a single, unitary enterprise with a coherent essence.” [1]
There were also some good intentions behind colonialism, including a desire to spread the gospel and education, improve health, and promote human flourishing. Slavery, on the other hand, or anything that denies human agency, freedom, and dignity, is evil. Similarly, the objectification of human life and treating it as a commodity to be purchased and then discarded is evil. I know that Christian slaveowners had ways of justifying their actions, but this is very difficult for me to understand how Matthew 7:12 can be disregarded: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (NIV).
My negative views on colonialism and slavery have been shaped by education, modern Western culture, and theological beliefs like Imago Dei. However, I have also been deeply influenced by conversations with friends and colleagues who are from countries that were colonized.
The Global and Ongoing Reality of Slavery
When I consider the evil of slavery, the broader history and contemporary understanding of slavery, my moral perspective is mostly unchanged. I still believe it is evil and devalues human life. However, when I consider the broader history, I now understand that virtually all empires have participated in the slave trade, including African elites. Being a Westerner, it is easy to believe that slavery was unique to the Western world, and we are the lone actors in pursuing evil. I am coming to realize that slavery isn’t a problem of Western civilization alone. It’s part of the human condition and sin. In his book, A Brief History of Slavery: A New Global History, Jeremy Black shows that slavery was a global and enduring institution, rather than one confined to Western roots. From Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, to Islamic, African, Asian, and European empires, slavery has existed in nearly every civilization. [2]
While Britain participated in the slave trade, they were also instrumental in abolishing slavery in other parts of the world. It is surprising that we much more often shame Britain for their participation in slavery, and only infrequently celebrate its role in pressuring other countries to abolish slavery as well.
Religion, War, and Counterfactual History
Over millennia, religion has justified conquest, holy wars, and expansionary projects. Popes framed armed pilgrimage as a way to remit sins. Islamic conquests were justified as being submissive to Allah. In more recent centuries, manifest destiny was a 19th-century belief that America was God-ordained to expand across all of North America.
If the Islamic conquests of Europe had succeeded, it’s likely that Christianity would not have spread to the western hemisphere, and possibly the West would be muslim instead. Democracy, and the freedoms enjoyed from it, especially amongst women and minorities, would likely be much less prevalent if it existed at all. It’s also likely that Arabic would be the majority language of Europe and Western culture.
The Costs and Benefits of Colonialism
In today’s polarized environment, it is difficult to give space to critically evaluate the multifaceted legacies of colonialism.
Last year, I visited an island in Indonesia to visit a few communities that are engaging in Bible translation. This country has 241 million muslims, the world’s largest population, beating out Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. [3] The island I visited is an exception, with the majority of the island professing faith in Jesus. This island was colonized by the Dutch in the 1800s, and along with colonization came a school, a hospital, and the gospel.[4] The communities I visited had thriving churches and took pride in their Christian heritage. I wrote about this in a previous blog:
When thinking about colonialism, I have had generally negative feelings and thoughts about the destruction of culture, language, and traditions that come with colonization. However, I simultaneously cannot deny the spread of the gospel and economic, technological, and medical advancement that came as a result of colonization in some circumstances. I believe that colonization is a violation of God’s design and appreciation for diversity and for the fullness of the image of God. However, I am reminded that despite the imperfect and even destructive ways of mankind, God has a way of his gospel moving forward to redeem the world. In many ways, this is a mystery – how God prevails, despite the poor attempts of Christians to take things into their own hands. [5]
In my post, I stressed that we must celebrate the good, call out the evil, and remember them both. In Western culture, our tendency is to focus on the evil and overlook the celebration of the good.
What I Believe Now
This has been a good reflection, and part of a long journey of growing my perspective on the legacy of colonialism, slavery, and religious empire. I continue to believe that treating anyone other than as Imago Dei is not living as designed by God.
This journey has challenged me to hold history’s light and shadow side together. Colonialism and slavery expose the depths of the human condition and sin — our hunger for power, wealth, and control. Yet even in the worst moments, God’s redemptive work will not be thwarted. As a follower of Jesus, I want to remember both the harm and the good with honesty, to resist simplistic narratives, and to lead with humility and courage in a world still shaped by these legacies.
References:
[1] Biggar, Nigel. Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning. William Collins, 2023.
[2] Black, Jeremy. A Brief History of Slavery: A New Global History. Robinson Press, 2021, 165.
[3] Statista. “Top 25 Countries with the Largest Number of Muslims in 2022 (in Millions)*,” n.d. https://www.statista.com/statistics/374661/countries-with-the-largest-muslim-population/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Indonesia%20has%20the,211.16%20million%20Muslims%20in%20India.
[4] Wikipedia. Details hidden for confidentiality.
[5] Christy. Celebrate The Good, Call Out The Bad, Remember Them Both. n.d. https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/celebrate-the-good-call-out-the-bad-remember-them-both/.
About the Author
Christy
3 responses to “A Challenging Reflection”
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Hi Christy,
Given your reflections on colonialism’s impact in places like Indonesia, how do you reconcile the spread of the gospel with the cultural losses that often accompanied it?
Thanks Christy. How do you see this conversation impacting the work you are doing or your NPO?
Christy, your perspective on what Arabisation of the world may have looked like is very accurate. I will never forget the time I had to take two “witnesses” with me to testify that that I live in NKC to get a residency card. My witnesses were “insufficient” because they were two women. I would either need two more women or another man before I could continue on the process. You can be sure that entire office found out what I believed concerning women and “Imago Dei!” It led to some good discussions.