Why should anyone respect or support the Bible when it appears to condone and regulate the practice of slavery?

This is one of the most serious and morally urgent objections raised against the Bible, especially because throughout history, people have grievously twisted biblical texts to justify the horrors of transatlantic chattel slavery. When modern readers encounter the word “servant” or “slave” in English translations, our minds immediately picture the race-based, brutal institution of modern history—where human beings were kidnapped, stripped of all rights, treated as subhuman property, and subjected to lifelong, generational torment. However, biblical law explicitly condemned that very form of enslavement: kidnapping an individual to sell or enslave them (“manstealing”) was deemed a capital offense punishable by death under Mosaic law, and the apostle PaulPaul is the apostle who carried the message of Jesus into the Gentile world, transforming early Christianity through his missionary journeys, his letters, and his profound teaching on grace, faith, and the New Covenant. More categorizes “menstealers” (slave traders) alongside murderers in the New TestamentThe New Testament is the collection of twenty‑seven inspired books revealing the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ, the birth of the church, and the arrival of the new covenant promised in the Old Testament. More. In ancient IsraelIsrael is the covenant people chosen by Yahweh, descended from Jacob, set apart to bear God’s name, receive His promises, and reveal His character to the nations. More, the servitude regulated by Mosaic law was fundamentally an economic safety net—a system of voluntary indentured servitude or debt insolvency relief, functioning essentially as ancient bankruptcy law where an impoverished person could work off debts for a maximum of six years, with mandatory release and generous provisions granted in the seventh year. IsraelIsrael is the covenant people chosen by Yahweh, descended from Jacob, set apart to bear God’s name, receive His promises, and reveal His character to the nations. More was uniquely commanded never to return an escaped foreign slave to their master, establishing an unprecedented sanctuary law found nowhere else in the ancient Near East. In the New TestamentThe New Testament is the collection of twenty‑seven inspired books revealing the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ, the birth of the church, and the arrival of the new covenant promised in the Old Testament. More, operating under the brutal Roman Empire, the apostles did not launch a bloody armed insurrection that would have led to the slaughter of millions, but rather planted theological dynamite beneath the entire institution: declaring that all human beings possess equal dignity in ChristJesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ or the Messiah, is the central figure of the New Testament and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Born in the line of David, He taught with divine authority, performed miracles, and revealed the kingdom of God. More, commanding masters to treat servants with justice and equity because they share the same Master in heaven, and urging that runaway slaves be received not as property, but as beloved brothers. Far from inventing or validating human bondage, Scripture introduced the radical moral framework that historically inspired ChristianChristian refers to a follower of Jesus Christ — someone who believes in His death and resurrection, trusts Him as Lord and Savior, and lives under the New Covenant through the Holy Spirit. The term first appears in Antioch to describe disciples whose lives reflected Christ (Acts 11:26). More abolitionists to fight for the total eradication of chattel slavery.