Charles Colcock Jones was a slaveowner, and missionary who dedicated his life to teaching the Christian gospel to enslaved Africans with the specific goal of making them more obedient and submissive.
Charles Colcock Jones Sr., often known as the “Apostle to Slaves,” was a deeply influential yet contradictory figure in American religious and social history. Born on December 20, 1804, at Liberty Hall, his father’s plantation in Liberty County, Georgia, Jones grew up surrounded by the institution of slavery. As the son of John Jones Jr., a wealthy merchant and planter, he had deep roots in Georgia’s coastal plantation economy. His early life and education set him on a path that would ultimately intertwine his religious mission with the defense of slavery, despite his initial moral reservations.
Jones made a profession of faith at the age of 17, which marked the beginning of his journey toward the Presbyterian ministry. He pursued formal theological education at Phillips Academy (1825–27), Andover Theological Seminary (1827–29), and Princeton Theological Seminary (1829–30), where he was shaped by the evangelical zeal of the Second Great Awakening. During this time, Jones wrestled with the moral question of slavery, particularly during his years in the North, where abolitionist sentiments were strong. However, despite these internal conflicts, Jones returned to Liberty County and assumed the role of both planter and preacher.
In 1830, Jones married his cousin, Mary Jones, and they had four children, three of whom survived to adulthood. He quickly became a prominent figure in the religious landscape of the South, serving as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia, from 1831 to 1832, and later as a professor of church history and polity at Columbia Theological Seminary in South Carolina.
Missionary Work Among Slaves
Jones’ true legacy, however, lies in his mission to convert enslaved Africans in America to Christianity. He believed that the gospel would foster obedience among slaves and discourage rebellion more effectively. He argued that when slave masters took the initiative to preach to their slaves, it created a strong connection between them. He maintained that history showed the greatest risk of insubordination came from leaving slaves in ignorance and to the care of their own religion, relying on their own religious beliefs. Firm in his convictions, he dedicated his life to this cause.
Often referred to as the “Apostle to Slaves,” Jones preached across plantations, including his own, and published numerous works aimed at promoting the evangelization of slaves. His most significant work, The Religious Instruction of the Negroes in the United States (1842), was a direct appeal to both ministers and slave owners to take control for the spiritual lives of enslaved people.
Jones argued that Christian teaching would not only offer slaves the hope of salvation but also make them more subservient. He insisted that the souls of enslaved people deserved the same religious care as those of free individuals. However, this belief was intertwined with the notion that a more Christianized slave population would be easier to manage, revealing the contradictions at the heart of his mission.
Despite his efforts to Christianize slaves, Jones remained a reluctant defender of slavery itself. He justified the system on biblical grounds and believed it was part of the divine order, even as he sought to improve the lives of those enslaved under its yoke.
The tension between Jones’ Christian ideals and his role as a slave owner defined his life. On one hand, he genuinely believed that converting slaves to Christianity was an act of spiritual mercy. On the other, he never fully abandoned the institution of slavery, managing three plantations—Arcadia, Montevideo, and Maybank—after returning to Georgia in the 1850s due to health issues. His relationship with slavery was filled with contradiction; while he sought to humanize and educate slaves through religion, he perpetuated the very system that dehumanized them.
This dilemma reflected the broader Southern mindset of the time. Many Southern planters saw no contradiction between their Christian faith and their ownership of slaves. In fact, Jones and others believed they had a moral duty to care for the spiritual and physical well-being of their slaves, even though that care often meant reinforcing the social and economic structures that kept them in bondage.
Charles Colcock Jones’ impact on the religious life of the South and on African American Christianity cannot be overstated. By the time of his death in 1863, Christianity had become deeply ingrained in the lives of many slaves, with the African American church emerging as a central institution in the years following emancipation. The religious instruction he advocated laid the groundwork for a unique form of Christian worship and community among African Americans.
However, Jones’ legacy is deeply problematic. While he was committed to the spiritual well-being of slaves, his work ultimately served to support and sustain the institution of slavery. His writings and missionary efforts provided a theological justification for slavery, reinforcing the idea that enslaved people could achieve salvation within a system that denied their fundamental humanity.
