Colonialism – A topic worth considering
To use Gen Z lingo, it’s been a hot minute since I was in grades K -12, but I do remember that starting in elementary school we began to learn about social studies. While the term colony was used, such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony, I do not recall the term colonialism being used. In fact it probably wasn’t until the last few years, based on what I heard, read, or saw in the media that I began to develop the idea of colonialism as being a way for nations to expand their political influence by going into other lands with little or no regard for the people who already inhabited those lands. I also remember slavery being taught but it was strictly on the Transatlantic Slave trade, with an emphasis on Britian’s involvement even though slavery had existed for thousands of years before. I saw slavery as forced labor by someone who owns you or with whom you are indebted. Over the years my idea of slavery was also expanded to include present day human trafficking and have oscillated whether coal miners were slaves based on how the mining companies ran the camps and paid the workers.
Having read Nigel Biggar’s book Colonialism and Jeremy Black’s book Slavery my ideas of what slavery, colonialism and religious empires entail has been expanded.[1] For example, Biggar acknowledges that Colonialism/Imperialism had its evils such as “to interfere in the affairs of inferior others for the sake of what you – but not they – consider ‘improvement’”[2] However, he raises the question whether we (imperial nations) have the duty to stop inhabitants of a country from oppressing one another.[3] This is the question that I am pondering as I begin to deconstruct and reshape my perspective on Western Colonialism.
The Molecule of More discusses how the need to explore the world seeking new and exciting things seems to be written into some people’s DNA.[4] Based on this idea I believe that colonialism was bound to happen. What got attached to the desire to explore was the need to protect the interests of the government and the spread of one’s religious beliefs. Often these two became intertwined leading to religious empires. Documents such as papal bulls and religious teachings led to the conquering and enslavement of people as governments sought to explore new lands and expand their rule.[5] Another factor that plays into the equation is the commodification of land, labor, and money.[6] As I write this in Cape Town, I can see how each of these commodities played into South Africa’s history. The Dutch saw this as being their promised land, they needed slaves to work the land, and the British became interested once gold and diamonds were discovered.[7]
As one considers empires and colonization it is easy to get drawn into thinking that everything that occurred was negative, but were there lasting benefits to the world that occurred? There are many metrics associated with this question that make it difficult to answer. For example, would an untouched tribe consider themselves to be worse off than the average American citizen? How do you really determine the answer to that question, whose standards are we using? Regardless, colonization throughout history allowed the spread of societal and technological advances, such as public schools, Greek Empire ~ 500 BCE, and vaccines, Britian 1796, to ensue at a much faster pace.[8]
As people argue about colonization and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, they miss the opportunity to address the impact of the modern-day slave trade. There are more people enslaved today than the transatlantic slavery, especially when you factor in the 2000 International Association Against Slavery’s definition of slavery and the public slavery that exists within our prison systems and current empires such as North Korea.[9] Slavery overall removes the image of God from people, where we see them as property and not a person. Coleman Hughes said that we are tribal, that tribalism seems to be at the biological core of who we are, but we have a choice to act upon that tribal behavior.[10] When we distance ourselves from modern day slavery, we align ourselves with our tribes. However, this failure to care about the treatment and plight of our neighbors, goes against the command to love our neighbor as ourselves; it dehumanizes them and allows us to be apathetic about other ills of society (poverty, access to health care, impact of drugs and alcohol, etc.) that do not immediately impact our tribe.
Reading about these topics I found my current understandings being challenged and I have not necessarily settled on whether colonialization’s benefits outweigh the ills, though I am very thankful for many of the technological advances that spread through colonization. I have a better understanding of the universality of both slavery and colonization and how religion was often incorporated into both. The biggest tension that remains for me is figuring out how we eliminate both practices in the world today.
Slavery and colonialism are just two of the many hot button topics that exist and leaders, especially Christians leaders walk a fine line in addressing these various issues. I believe contemporary leaders need to engage with these histories by recognizing the past, admitting to and repenting of the evils that have been done, like the Israelites in their return from Exile.[11] They are then to learn from the mistakes, recognize that they are just as capable of engaging in similar behavior, and strive to provide a better future for those they are serving as their leader. When engaging others seek to understand everyone’s position, not to win and/or have everyone agree with you.[12] Ask questions that allow everyone to examine their own feelings and beliefs regarding the hot topic. Ultimately, allow people to agree to disagree and hopefully remain friends.
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[1]Biggar, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, (London: Williams Collins, 2023); Black, A Brief History of Slavery: A New Global History, (London, Little Brown Book, 2011).
[2] Nigel Biggar, Colonialim: A Moral Reckoning, (London: Williams Collins, 2023), 83.
[3] Biggar, 84
[4] Daniel Liberman and Michael Long, The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, (Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2019).
[5] Medievalists.net, “The Crusades: A Very Brief History, 1095-1500,” accessed on September 20, 2025, https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/crusades-history-1095-1500/; Lind, “Doctrines of Discovery,” Washington University Jurisprudence Review 13 (1), 2020, 10,16, https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1223&context=law_jurisprudence; Black, 27.
[6] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2001)
[7] Biggar
[8] ChatGPT5, September 26, 2025.
[9] Black, 3, 8,
[10] Coleman Hughes, The End of Race Politics: Argument for a Colorblind America, (New York, NY:Thesis, 2024), 25.
[11] Nehemiah 9 (CSB).
[12] Peter Boghossian and James Linsay, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, (New York: Hatchett Books, 2019).
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.14 responses to “Colonialism – A topic worth considering”
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Hi Jeff, thank you for your post.
In your opinion, how can Christian leaders today engage with the complex legacies of slavery and colonialism in a way that promotes truth, repentance, and reconciliation—without falling into defensiveness or ideological bias?
Shela,
I believe Christian leaders need to keep Nehemiah 9 in mind where the nation of Israel repents and they repented for things their forefathers did, not them personally. That is a wonderful model, let’s examine what our predecessors did regarding these complex issues, acknowledge the evils and the benefits and seek forgiveness.
Hi Jeff, as you concluded your post, you reflected on the benefits of people seeking to understand one another even if they disagree. What might be an approach with groups such as neoracisits and white supremacists, who don’t have a fundamental understanding of a common humanity, or that everyone deserves to be treated as equal?
Diane,
Great question. I would probably have to employ ideas from How to Have Impossible Conversations. To begin with, just sitting down and asking questions to truly try and understand their point of view. Coming at it with a complete attitude of humility. Also knowing when to take a break and shift to a safer topic. I engaged in a conversation with someone the other day that I don’t feel was ready to consider how colonialism wasn’t all evil. I mentioned the book and then dropped the issue.
great post Jeff. How does this conversation impact the work you do as a professor? How can you help the Gen Z generation think critically about these issues?
Ryan,
Great question – This topic would come into play in at least two classes that I teach, Cultural and Human Diversity (CHD), and Social Justice and Advocacy (SJA). I’m getting ready to discuss Native America culture this coming week and I’m considering having them consider the question of whether colonialism was all bad. One thing I do in CHD is have student do a group presentation on white ethnic minorities (Jews, Poles, German, Italian, and Irish) and how they were treated upon arriving in the US to demonstrate how tribal we are as humans.
In SJA I bring in modern day slavery as a topic, fashion industry, sex industry, and labor. This gets students to reconstruct how they define slavery and begin to consider what they can do to address it
Hi Jeff,
You brought up Biggar’s question, “Do we (imperial nations) have the duty to stop inhabitants of a country from oppressing one another?” As I was reading your blog, I kept remembering different missionary stories where tribal leaders were introduced to Christ. Then the entire culture of the tribe changed–especially concerning the treatment of women, children, and power. I, too, still do not know if colonialism outweighs the cost. Just yesterday I was reminded of the “colonial” mindset many missionaries have even today and it is a huge problem. But what I do know is that recognizing the God who created each person in His image is the first place to start. No questions, just some thoughts that were triggered by your excellent blog.
Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate your blog. You wrote, “I believe contemporary leaders need to engage with these histories by recognizing the past, admitting to and repenting of the evils that have been done…” I would wholeheartedly agree with you. However, there are many who say, “I didn’t participate in that, I don’t feel the need to repent of something I haven’t done.” How might we address leaders who respond in this way?
Graham, I would go back to Nehemiah 9 as an example of people repenting for things that their forefathers did years earlier. Then I might ask the person if they have ever apologized, said I’m sorry to a friend or family member about a situation in which they were not part of. For example, telling their child “I am so sorry that your friend treated you that way.” Why are they apologizing to their child over a situation that they were not part of or had any control over? The apology is an attitude; it’s recognizing an injustice occurred and trying to emotionally connect with a victim.
Hi Jeff,
I shared this with Kari but will share again. I often feel overwhelmed when thinking about dismantling modern-day slavery. What practical advice do you have for taking some steps without getting bogged down with the enormity of the situation?
Christy,
A couple things, one is to be cautious of what we buy. That can be difficult and I’m not advocating that a person research everything. But if we buy fresh fruit from a local farm market, do we know the work conditions of the workers, are they paid fairly and treated fairly. The other thing is to reach out to a local trafficking commission to see what opportunities there are to assist them in their efforts.
Thank you, Jeff, for your post. When you mentioned that slavery is basically removing the image of God from the people where we see them as property and not a person,” how should we, as leaders guard ourselves against this toward our followers? Thanks again, Jeff.
Noel,
Thanks for the question. A simple answer to this is to always maintain an attitude of humility. Do not consider yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3). While we may have different giftings or other leadership qualities than other people, we are still just a man/woman.
Thank you, Jeff.