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COMMENTARY: Biblical silence about slavery leaves lasting questions today

NNPA NEWSWIRE — ‘By the mid 19th Century, the majority of slaves had been introduced to Christianity, although most still could not read the Bible based on illiteracy and the fact that in several states in the Deep South, the White aristocracy discouraged Black persons from meeting in prayer. In 1832, the Rev. Charles Colcock Jones published the book “How To Make A Negro Christian,” a sort of guide to slave owners on how to introduce the precepts of Jesus while instilling abject servitude upon their property.

Published

7 years ago

May 23, 2019

Oakland Post

By Merdies Hayes, Our Weekly News Editor

The little girl was guilty of nothing more than hunger. When she was denied sustenance, she made the fatal mistake of demonstrating insolence, and for that infraction, her punishment appeared inconceivable. But it happened.

The St. Louis Republican newspaper ran a article in the fall of 1844 recounting the flogging and heinous treatment that led to the death of an 8-year-old child:

“On Friday last, the coroner held an inquest at the house of Judge Dunica, a few miles south of the city, over the body of a Negro girl, about 8 years of age, belonging to Mr. Cordell. The body exhibited evidence of the most cruel whipping and beating we have ever heard of. The flesh on the back and limbs were beaten to a jelly—one shoulder-bone was laid bare—there were several cuts, apparently from a club, on the head—and around the neck was the indentation of a cord, by which it is supposed she had been confined to a tree.

A brutal fate for a child

“She had been hired by a man by the by the name of Tanner, residing in the neighborhood, and was sent home in this condition. After coming home, her constant request, until her breath, was for bread, by which it would seem that she had been starved as well as unmercifully whipped. The jury returned a verdict that she came to her death by the blows inflicted by some persons unknown whilst she was in the employ of Mr. Tanner. Mrs. Tanner (an eyewitness) has been tried and acquitted.”

Records reveal that a slave named Cornelia was charged with being an accomplice of Mrs. Tanner in the murder of the little girl. In admitting her participation, Cornelia said she was “compelled to take part” in the murder and said Mrs. Tanner ordered her to restrain the child while she tied the girl to a tree. She was held there for five days and they denied the girl any food or water. The child was whipped each day and forced to lie bloodied and convulsing throughout the night until she was eventually returned to her master and died from her injuries.

Many Christians would naturally wonder what would Jesus say about this form of brutality perpetrated against a child? Jesus was a great reformer, and he certainly identified with the poor and downtrodden and has urged his followers for two millennia to do the same. During the time when the Holy Land was occupied by foreign power, Jesus taught his countrymen how to maintain their dignity. For instance, when religious leaders were corrupt, he called them into account.

Why was Jesus silent about slavery?

But Jesus never spoke a single word against slavery. And although it would take roughly 2,000 years until most of the world would realize how immoral slavery is, Jesus knew then that slave-owners would use the Old Testament to justify the practice. Many people believe that one clear word from Jesus condemning slavery could have prevented the misery of millions of people. So why didn’t he speak out against it?

Slavery was brutal, and Jesus knew that full well. Because he never condemned the practice, people might hope that he thought of it in relatively benign forms that are sometimes found in the Old Testament. Not exactly. When Jesus spoke about the relationship between slaves and masters, he relied on the fact that violence and abuse against captives were the order of the day.

A typical example of this might found in Luke 12:47-48: “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.”

When Jesus conducted his ministry, it was widely believed that such outcomes would be the result of certain methods to, in other words, “scare people” into submission to God. Like the slave or servant, we would be physically harmed if we’re not good enough. There are several parables like this in the Gospels. Matthew 18:23-35 says we will be “jailed and tortured.” Matthew 25:14-30 says we will be “cast into the other darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The Book of Matthew goes even further in chapter 24, verses 45-51 in that the disobedient servant/slave will be “cut in pieces.” These excerpts from Scripture may indicate how Jesus pictured masters treating their slaves.

Following the ‘Golden Rule’

When Jesus gave the Golden Rule (“love your neighbor as yourself”) or (do to others what you would have them do to you”), most people naturally believe he implied that slavery was wrong. In other words, if we should treat others as we want them to treat us, that means that we shouldn’t enslave them. While this is obvious in the 21^stCentury—and had even become clear to abolitionists in the 19^th Century—this ideal was not obvious to large swaths of those who would abide by America being “founded as a Christian nation.”

Jesus did not invent the Golden Rule. Rather, he was quoting from verse 18 of the passage in Leviticus 19:11-18 where the same principle, “love your neighbor as yourself” effectively sums up the other commands in that passage. This is much like how Jesus said that the Golden Rule sums up the “law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12 and Matthew 22:36-40). At that time, Jesus’ audience would have known that he was quoting from Leviticus, one of the Five Books of Moses (the Torah), which commanded Israel to “invade and enslave distant cities,” and, in particular, Exodus which said that slaves are merely property and may be severely beaten “for just shy of two days” when their behavior would merit such a response.

In the minds of Jesus’ audience, it would have been far from obvious that the Golden Rule outlawed slavery because the two concepts had coexisted in the Scriptures—presumably without contradiction—for centuries. At a minimum, modern civilization could say that if Jesus meant the Golden Rule as a command to abolish slavery, then millions of slaves in the next 2,000 years would have wished he had made his intent far more obvious.

‘How to Make A Negro Christian’

‘By the mid 19th Century, the majority of slaves had been introduced to Christianity, although most still could not read the Bible based on illiteracy and the fact that in several states in the Deep South, the White aristocracy discouraged Black persons from meeting in prayer. In 1832, the Rev. Charles Colcock Jones published the book “How To Make A Negro Christian,” a sort of guide to slave owners on how to introduce the precepts of Jesus while instilling abject servitude upon their property.

Jones was popularly referred to as the “Apostle of the Blacks.” In one passage from his book, he explained how the typical slave owner could use Scripture to hold sway over his captives:

“And having our plantation, the time and persons of our servants wholly under our control, we can arrange the manner and frequency of our instructions, as we please, and the period of these instructions with as much punctuality, and with as little interruption, as we can arrange the morning and evening devotions of our own fireside. Our very children might become, to some extent, teachers, by reading to them plain portions of the Bible, or plain tracts and things of such sort.”

Further, Jones elaborated on why teaching the Gospels to slaves would make them even more obedient and diligent in their daily chores: “Will the authority of the masters be weakened by instructions of this sort? No, it will be strengthened. And we believe that their authority can be strengthened and supported in this way only; for the duty of obedience will never be felt and performed to the extent that we desire it, unless we can bottom it on religious principle. Let them (slave masters) invest a little capital in the minds and hearts of their people (slaves), and it will prove to all concerned, a peace-giving and profitable investment for time and for eternity.”

A ‘double-edged sword’ for African Americans

Some slave owners, however, did not allow their slaves to attend church and ridiculed the notion of religion for slaves because they refused to believe that Black persons had souls. Others forbade their slaves to attend church because, according to John Brown, an ex-slave from Georgia: “White folks ‘fraid the nig*rs git to thinkin’ they was free, if they had churches ‘n things.”

The Christian faith occupies a complicated—and often radicalized—place in the history of African-Americans, namely because it was abused by White colonists and slave traders to subjugate generations of people.

Many scholars have since tried to explain the dichotomy between the brutality of slavery and the benevolence of the Gospels.

“Christianity was a double-edged sword [for African Americans],” said Dr. Lawrence H. Mamiya, co-author of the 1990 book “The Black Church in the African-American Experience.” He explained that long before colonialism and slavery, Africans were practicing Christianity. “On the one hand, Whites wanted to use Christianity to make slaves docile and obedient. On the other, the Africans adapted Christianity for their survival and liberation.”

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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