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NASB | Titus 2:9 ¶ Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Titus 2:9 ¶ Urge bond-servants to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing and not talk back, |
Bible Question (short): Modern application of slavery texts? |
Question (full): An application question. Thanks, Mark, for your thoughtful reply. The story of Joseph is certainly a wonder: the way that such horrible deeds are brought to wonderful ends, and how those ends were even fortold in dreams at the beginnning. (In a weird kind of way, the dreams sprarked the jealousies, fueling the brothers cruel actions... so there is a kind of circle here. The circle brings us, at each point, back to God.) But, with the slavery question, I would like to try a modern application. This is not slavery per se, but similar I think. In Guatemala (as far as I understand it), most people live in poverty, and one critical concern is that very few people own land. The landowners are able to treat the workers very harshly, for there is no recourse. Some churches preach that the workers should accept their lot, live orderly lives, and live in the hope of heaven. Other churches preach that the injustice of their country needs to be reformed, and call on parishoners to work toward changing the laws of their society for the good of all. Church leaders advocate for the poor in the public sphere. What are the Biblical grounds for these positions, and is one more sound than the other? |