Slavery was an accepted institution in biblical times. Although careful reading of the biblical laws concerning the relationship between master and slave reveals a more "humane" form of this practice (Exodus prohibits punishment that results in death, Leviticus names slaves as part of the master's household, and Deuteronomy allows slaves to rest on the Sabbath--Harper's Bible Dictionary p959), and Paul's letter to Philemon is a stealthy argument for freeing Onesimus, a recently converted slave --the fact remains that slavery existed and was tolerated.
That was the worldview of the authors of the bible. And while the truth and promise in the bible is never "time sensitive," certain aspects of the bible's worldview are, in my opinion. There are underlying factors that went into the texts that must be taken into consideration when interpreting them for today. We must put on the eyes and ears of those people who first heard the stories--walk in their shoes--to best understand what the texts are trying to communicate.
Sometimes that involves acknowledging that there are different worldviews operating--worldviews that are locked in history. Some are irrelevant today (not that the truth of the text is), some are simply outdated, some are just downright wrong.
Slavery is a case in point. Okay back then--abhorrent now. The truths contained in passages that include slavery are still true--you just have to boil away the outdated references to get at them. The image of the steward is one such reference. What lies behind this image that is the basis for our tending of the earth and our use of what God entrusts us with?
NEXT: Boiling down the image of the steward.
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