Human Trafficking, the Bible, and the Church: An Interdisciplinary Study

Human trafficking causes untold suffering to millions throughout the world. From a Christian perspective it should go without saying that we ought to work towards the eradication of this evil. The Bible, however, which all Christian traditions recognize as normative for faith and practice, reflects an era in which slavery was regarded as the norm. This raises a question: can it have anything to say to the church about human trafficking, or should it be discarded as irrelevant and anachronistic? Drawing on history and literature to help us bridge the hermeneutical gap between the texts and our own age, this study presents an examination of key biblical material on slavery and prostitution. It suggests that the Bible does have much to say that can inform Christian responses to modern-day slavery in all its forms, including the sex industry into which so many victims of trafficking are sold.

Marion L. S. Carson is a freelance theologian and writer who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. She is secretary of the European Baptist Federation's Anti-Trafficking Network.

Elaine Storkey is a philosopher, sociologist and theologian who has held university posts at King's College, London; Stirling; Oxford; Calvin College, USA; and the Open University. A Fellow of Aberystwyth University, former Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity and high-table member of Newn-ham College, Cambridge, she has also lectured in Africa, Asia and Haiti. Her presidency of Tearfund, the aid and development agency, spanned 17 years. A broadcaster and author, she has been a passionate advocate for justice and gender issues for 30 years, implementing many changes for women through 28 years on the General Synod of the Church of England.