Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Redeeming Slaves


Most of us, when we think about the issue of slavery, we think of it as a 19th century American problem that ended with the armistice at the close of the Civil War. The reality is that slavery is alive and well in the developing world. In the Sudan, for instance, chattel slavery is rampant. The current militant Muslim regime allows the practice of the enslavement of Sudanese Christians. The vast majority of the victims are women and younger girls who are sold to Muslim men as sexual and labor slaves.

There is hope, however.

Over the last several years many Christian organizations have begun actively redeeming slaves. These groups raise funds in the west to buy slaves and either return them to their villages of origin, or helping them to defect to neighboring refugee camps. In our culture black Islam claims many disenfranchised African American youths who are looking for answers for their situation and for a sense of purpose and history. Often they are told that Christianity is the religion of oppression towards blacks, but that Islam is a religion that understands and can fulfil their needs. The story of Christian organizations redeeming slaves out of the hands of militant Muslims can be a powerful apologetic for the message of the Christian faith.

For more information check out these sites
http://www.iabolish.com
http://www.csi-int.org

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