The letters of Paul--especially the verse in Ephesians directing slaves to obey their masters--played an enormous role in promoting slavery and justifying it as a Christian practice.
In the first book of its kind, Lisa Bowens takes a historical.
Yet despite this reality African Americans throughout history still utilized Paul extensively in their own work to protest and resist oppression, responding to his theology and teachings in numerous--often starkly divergent and liberative--ways.
The letters of Paul--especially the verse in Ephesians directing slaves to obey their masters--played an enormous role in promoting slavery and justifying it as a Christian practice