It’s Complicated
My mind has been swirling this week. Yet, the topic for our blog seems a synthesis of so many pieces that have been coming together over the last year. Unfortunately, I am left with more questions than answers. Violence has been a part of history since Cain killed Abel, (Gen. 4:3-8 ESV), throughout and beyond the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Yet maybe because it hasn’t seemed close to home, I have been remiss.
Visiting the Museum of African American History during the 2024 Advance was a powerful turning point for me. The realization that individuals were literally stolen from their free, prosperous life and whisked away in the belly of ship across an ocean to unknown lands was a graphic reminder that people were treating other people as a commodity rather than a person created in the image of God.
According to Nigel Biggar, there are many reasons for and criticisms of colonialism. While all could be argued, colonialism was ambiguous and morally complicated[1] Biggar held that the primary focus of empire building was to increase profits[2]. My own take on colonialism is that greed and power were key motivators that were fed by the increase of profits. That feeds into the thought that slavery became a key factor in that scenario. Labor is always one of the costliest aspects of any business endeavor. If a country could have free labor via the use of slaves or penal labor, they made more money.
Slavery dates back to some of the earliest recorded history of our world. In the Bible, it was a matter of fact that slaves were present; in fact, they were exhorted to obey their masters[3]. While it has taken different forms in various settings, it always involved individuals losing their right to go where they want but rather are conscripted into forced labor. While Christians who owned slaves may have relied on those versus to maintain their slaves, Galatians 3:28 reminds all that there is neither slave nor free in Christ Jesus. Regardless of how it started and why, the reality is that in the United States where black people had been enslaved, there are still economic, educational, health disparities[4]
Yet wealth, ownership, and rights for people and land have manifested in other forms. For years, Israel has had a strong hand on the Palestinian people living in Gaza. Every day, people struggle to live with the limitations of movement and more that Israel has imposed on them. Then, on that fateful Oct. day, Hamas attacked a group of people in Israel, killing, brutally raping, mutilating, and taking hostages. Was it justified? Will it ever stop? Is there an answer to war? The everyday Palestinians did not personally commit the atrocities on Oct. 7th. The everyday Israelis at the concert did not personally subjugate the Palestinians. The purpose of this post is not to solve all the problems that have been raging for centuries for these peoples; however, it is happening now, and I do think it relates to colonialism, slavery, and even one’s perception of duty to their faith. That being said, I was heartened when I read Jim Wallis’ post today. In it he reminded us of words by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King that violence is never the answer[5]. Leaders in both of those groups have resorted to violence. This week, while we were in South Africa, my heart was troubled as I heard the people marching through the streets in support of Palestine. Would there be violence? Yet, they spoke, walked, then dispersed. I know there is much I don’t know about the struggles there. If I look at how apartheid in South Africa was met with both diplomatic and aggressive resistance, I am thankful that, for the most part, there has been growth.
Still, as I look at today there are some things I do know. I do not worry that I will be randomly stopped and asked for proof of citizenship. I do not worry about housing or food insecurity. I am free to worship as I choose. And while I think my country is experiencing struggles over the limits of power the government can claim, for the most part it has not, to date, limited my everyday life. This leads me to realize that compared to most people and many nations of this world I live a life through the lens of privilege. So, the question remains, what does the Lord require of me? For that I rely on Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. I still have more questions than answers, but at least I have some direction.
[1] Nigel Biggar, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, (London: Williams Collins Books, 2023), 21. Kindle Version
[2] Biggar, 19.
[3] Bible, Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:22, 1 Timothy 6:1.
[4] Black, Jeremy. A Brief History of Slavery. Philadelphia, London: Running Press Book Publishers ; Robinson, 2011, 249.
[5] Jim Wallis, “Choosing Dialogue Over Violence,” God’s Politics with Jim Wallis, posted Oct. 02, 2025.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
5 responses to “It’s Complicated”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hi Diane,
Thank you for sharing your post. I ask this with curiosity:
Do you think Galatians 3:28 (reminds all that there is neither slave nor free in Christ Jesus), justifies the wrong that has done by a superior race to another group of human being? How do you reconcile with scripture?
Hi Shela, thanks for the question. I absolutely do not think Gal. 3:28 justifies the wrongs of slavery, especially when it is done by a group or an individual who has an upper hand over another. My comment was in response to what I have heard people say to me when I moved to the south. I was writing because I found it strange, and a poor justification for those who were benefiting from the subjugation of someone in what I find unconscionable.
Thank you, Diane, for your thoughts. This is indeed a complicated, wicked problem! Since you lived in the North and are now in the South, I’m curious what differences you have seen between how people address this issue?
Hi Kari, Thanks for the question. When I moved here, the first thing I noticed was that the perception of the US Civil War was very different from what I had been taught. Those I talked to said the South fought over States’ Rights, while the North saw it as a question of slavery. I don’t think they correlated that the right they wanted was to own another human being. Most conversations ended with a shut-down comment from the other person, saying I knew nothing about living in the south. I also acknowledge that people in the North also have their prejudices; they just hadn’t talked about them openly.
Hi, Diane, thank you for your post. As I am reading your post to the end part, one thing I realize as a basic fundamental lesson for any type of leadership, is what you quoted in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, Oman what is good; and what the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Thanks again, Diane.