Slavery, Anyone?
I’ve dedicated my life to reversing the decline of the Western Church. If you’re not concerned about that, could you please do something about slavery?
27 million people are owned by other people, and being a possession must really, really suck. Many of them are children, and many of their owners use them as sex receptacles, forced laborers, and armed combatants. Our problems look foolish in comparison.
Consider that your whole life could have been spent in slavery. You, the possession of a heartless master. Every day. No exceptions. I assume you’d prefer the life you’ve lived. My life is being used elsewhere. Could you please give yours to this?
POST ADDENDUM>>>
Rereading this post with fresh eyes, I’ve recognized my condescending tone. Please forgive me for that. I’m still growing, and there’s no good reason for me to communicate my burden for the Western Church and other imperatives in that way.
newsciontist.wordpress.com 
Jesus said he came to proclaim release to the captives, and I love (love, love) seeing organizations who make it their mission to share the hope of spiritual freedom as they share the very practical work of freeing prisoners in a physical way–this has been an ongoing joy of mine and something I’ve been challenged to partner with more deeply over time–it’s interesting that I read your post not long after ordering the book Just Courage by Gary Haugen from IJM.
Slavery breaks my heart–and it’s also so sad to think of how many people, myself included, have at times voluntarily enslaved themselves to things that are not worthy masters. Amazingly, I’ve found that every time I’ve taken a step to reach out to share freedom, God has challenged me (sometimes in uncomfortable ways) to deeper levels of freedom in my own life. This can be a little scary, but is (of course) a deeply wonderful process.
In a way, it seems like the plight of the Western Church and the problem of slavery are linked . . . I like to dream of the difference a revived and informed Western Church could make in the eradication of slavery . . . and of the lessons freed slaves could teach Christians about contentment and determination and about never taking freedom for granted——for now, both issues (the plight of the Western Church and of slavery worldwide) are unknown to most people, but I believe God is moving.
And thus ends the longest blog comment I’ve written in a while. Ha.