Over the centuries, Christian culture and practice involved imperialism and slavery

6 May 2024

Will Hutton's piece prompted this:

Over the centuries, Christian culture and practice involved imperialism and slavery - twin evils that anyone of integrity should have kept well away from regardless of the age in which they lived.  Some truths, like the Ten Commandments from 2,500 years ago never change over time.  I think, Christ's teaching too is applicable for all of the 2,000 years since His teaching and for the 2,000 years before Christ.

Yet, at a time when church attendance was at its high point, so was empire-building and slavery.

So entrenched were these practices, it would have been difficult to avoid them completely, I know.  However, the very minimum that I would have expected was the blindingly obvious fact from Christ's life and teaching, that you have nothing to do with warfare and you profit as little as possible from it.  And, of course, from the equally iniquitous cotton, tobacco and sugar plantations.  But much more difficult, of course, to exist without those products.  Violence was an integral part of slavery and colonialism.  Another reason for the Church to distance itself from as much imperialism and slavery as possible.

Still today, the state Church is so bound up with the State. Hopeless!  But wonderful for tradition, ceremony and pomp!