For the millions of Africans brought to the Americas in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Bible occupied a paradoxical place. In the hands of enslavers, it became a tool of control, a weapon wielded to justify cruelty and enforce obedience. In the hands of the enslaved, it became a source of hope, a spark for resistance, and a guide for spiritual liberation. The tension between oppression and emancipation ran through every page, every sermon, and every hymn, shaping the religious life of enslaved Africans in ways that were both profound and dangerous.
During slavery, white enslavers frequently cited Scripture to enforce compliance. Passages such as Ephesians 6:5, “slaves, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling”, were read loudly in plantations’ chapels, and work sites. Colossians 3:22 and 1 Peter 2:18 were similarly employed to argue that rebellion against masters was not only illegal but sinful.
In Virginia, North Carolina, and the Deep South, white ministers would preach to enslaved congregations that God had ordained the social order, that slavery was a divine institution, and that questioning it was tantamount to questioning God Himself.
These readings were reinforced by laws forbidding the assembly of enslaved Africans without white supervision and restricting literacy among Africans, ensuring that the interpretation of Scripture remained firmly in the hands of their white masters.
Another example of how the Bible was used to control enslaved Africans was the creation of the “Slave Bible.” Produced in the late 1700s and early 1800s, these heavily edited Bibles removed passages about freedom or escape, such as the story of the Exodus, leaving only sections that emphasized obedience and submission.
The slave bible was used to teach a pro-slavery version of Christianity to enslaved Africans in the British West Indies, with British missionaries relying on them for education and conversion.
Enslavers also distorted biblical stories to argue that some races were superior and others were meant to serve. One of the most notorious examples was the curse of Ham, often misinterpreted from Genesis 9:20–27.
According to this account, Ham saw his father Noah naked, and Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan to be “a servant of servants.” European and American pro-slavery advocates seized upon this passage to claim that Africans, as descendants of Ham, were divinely destined for servitude.
This false interpretation was taught in churches, repeated in sermons, and built into laws and social customs to justify the transatlantic slave trade. By wrapping racial oppression in biblical language, enslavers gave their exploitation a moral and religious cover, making resistance seem not only illegal but, in their view, a rebellion against God.
Even with these limits, enslaved Africans used the Bible in ways that challenged their slavery. They saw stories of freedom, like the Israelites escaping Egypt under Moses and the promise of deliverance in Isaiah 61, as reflections of their own suffering and hope. Spiritual songs and secret sermons carried messages of freedom. Hymns such as “Go Down Moses” and “Steal Away to Jesus” were not just religious songs, they also served as guidance, warnings, and encouragement for escape.
Some of the most remarkable instances of resistance were led by pastors themselves. Black ministers, often enslaved or the descendants of enslaved Africans, risked whipping, imprisonment, or execution to preach messages of liberation.
Denmark Vesey, a literate carpenter and preacher in Charleston, South Carolina, organized one of the most famous planned slave uprisings in 1822. Drawing inspiration from the Exodus narrative and the promise of divine justice, Vesey used secret Bible study groups to recruit and mobilize hundreds of conspirators. Although the plot was discovered before it could take place, it demonstrates how Scripture inspired organized resistance.
Similarly, Nat Turner, a deeply religious enslaved man in Virginia, led a violent rebellion in 1831. He claimed to have received visions from God instructing him to rise against white oppressors. Turner’s deep knowledge of the Bible allowed him to explain the moral justification for his actions to other enslaved Africans.
In sermons and secret meetings, he referenced both Old and New Testament passages, presenting his revolt as God’s command to fight injustice. The uprising killed over fifty white enslavers and led to harsh reprisals against enslaved Africans, showing how dangerous resistance could be.
Samuel Sharpe was another preacher whose faith helped ignite the largest slave revolt in the British Caribbean. Influenced by biblical teachings on justice and freedom, Sharpe believed slavery violated Christian principles and initially organized a peaceful general strike in December 1831, later known as the Baptist War or Christmas Rebellion. When planters responded with violence, the uprising spread across western Jamaica, involving tens of thousands of enslaved Africans.
Sharpe was eventually captured and executed in 1832, but his use of Scripture to challenge bondage shocked Britain and accelerated the movement toward abolition, which followed just two years later.
White pastors, too, occasionally faced persecution for challenging slavery. Figures like Freeborn Garrettson in Maryland and Reverend George Bourne in Virginia used their pulpits to denounce the institution, citing passages of Scripture that condemned oppression and celebrated justice, and for this, they faced social ostracism, fines, and violent threats.
The Bible also shaped African-American religious institutions that survived slavery and helped lay the foundation for later civil rights movements. The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, founded by Richard Allen in 1816, offered a place where enslaved and free Black people could worship independently.
Allen’s sermons used Scripture to affirm the dignity of African-descended people, teach resilience in the face of oppression, and inspire collective action. Even under constant white surveillance and the threat of punishment, these churches promoted literacy, moral education, and spiritual strength.
In conclusion, the Bible reflects the paradox of religion under slavery. In white hands, it sanctioned cruelty, justified laws, and maintained social hierarchies. In Black hands, it became a vessel of hope, a guide to resistance, and a foundation for community solidarity. In other words, the Bible was not neutral or simply a moral guide; it was both a chain and a key, used to oppress and control, yet also to inspire courage and resilience, showing just how powerful and manipulative a book it truly is.
