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.3 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?
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?
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?