Slavery and the Bible

This Sunday, Lord willing, we will gather to sing, hear the word read, and hear the word preached. We also come to a passage in Ephesians that discusses the slave and master relationship that was so prevalent in the ancient world. What are we to make of Paul's instructions here and the fact that he did not command the abolition of slavery?

I Providentially ran across this article today that discusses, in depth, the Christian ethic regarding slavery. It wrestles with a view that we have come to take for granted (abolition), but that for most of human history was foreign to just about every culture. The Old Testament puts limits on slavery but doesn't abolish it. The New Testament sows the seeds that lead to abolition, while not expressly commanding the end of the practice. This article is very helpful in thinking through this issue historically and biblically.