The Church’s Role in Ending Human Trafficking

Slavery is thriving in today’s world. Though many think this oppressive practice is a thing of the past or a minor problem today, that is far from the truth. There are likely more than 50 million slaves in the world today, with over 100,000 of them in the United States. “80 percent are female, 50 percent are minors, and 70 percent are trafficked for sexual exploitation” and “more than three hundred thousand children younger than age eighteen are trafficked to serve in armed conflicts worldwide.”1 Although statistics like these are beginning to gain public attention through media efforts such as the movie The Sound of Freedom, many are unaware of this problem. And those who are tend to either not know where or how to help.

In his book, A Light in the Darkness, Eddie Byun reveals the prevalence of human trafficking and why the church must take a stand against it. He explains why justice is vital to the Christian worldview and matters deeply to God. Christians—called to “hold fast to love and justice” (Hosea 12:6)—cannot sit idly by while society’s most vulnerable suffer injustice.

Although many today, especially younger generations, want to take a stand against injustice, Byun acknowledges that we often wonder “whether any of our small, individual efforts could make a difference in light of the enormity of evil.”2 He then writes about how our individual efforts matter and what we can do to make the most difference. And the beginning of that fight “against darkness is education–to make ourselves aware and informed.”3

Why Injustice Matters
Discussions of what is just or unjust occur regularly in religion and politics. Though it has taken different forms, injustice has existed since the time of the fall (Genesis 3). But what is injustice? “Injustice occurs when power is misused to take from others what God has given them, namely, their life, dignity, liberty, or the fruits of their love and labor.”4 Injustice occurs when the good things that God has given to humanity are perverted and stolen.

The most basic meaning of the Hebrew word for justice, mishpat, is “‘to treat people well,’ but it also carries the meaning of giving people what is due them, be it protection or punishment.”5 Justice is “right living in the context of community,” and justice and righteousness are the foundation of God’s throne (see Psalm 89:14).6 Why? Because God cares deeply for the vulnerable in society (see Matthew 25:35–40). So much so that when Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth in human form, he quoted Isaiah 61 at the start of his public ministry, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19). To God, carrying out justice is caring for the poor.

Injustice occurs when the good things that God has given to humanity are perverted and stolen

When a person loves someone, they care about the things they care about. So, as followers of Jesus, we should care about what God cares about because of our love for him. To those who claim allegiance to God but who do not care about the vulnerable, Jesus has harsh words: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23). Though the scribes and Pharisees were holy men, they missed the mark on what they placed their faith in. When we have faith in who Jesus is, it transforms how we see the world and how we live. It changes how we treat our neighbors and those in need.

The Church Must Lead
For Christians, the existence of injustice shouldn’t prompt the question, should we do something? Rather, Christians should ask, what can we do to end it? As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”7 When we realize how serious God is about injustice, Christians must stand against it. Some may say, “this is a social problem, so society and their governments should fix it.” While governments should take a stand against the evil in their culture, the reality is sadly far from it.

Byun relates an experience he had when he spoke with a high-ranking official in South Korea about the human trafficking problem in his country. After the presentation, the official wasn’t surprised at all. Rather, he took Byun aside and asked him, “‘Why are you doing this? Don’t you know all men do this? Haven’t you done this?’”8 Byun was shocked. Later, he was even more shocked to learn that the buildings in the red-light district of Seol were owned and rented out by the government to the very pimps who were trafficking people. Governments know what is going on in their countries. The sad reality is that most either don’t do anything about it or, worse, support it.

In the sixteenth century, Theresa de Avila, who would later be given the title of saint for all the efforts she made to bring people to Jesus, said “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks with compassion on this world; yours are the feet with which He walks to do good; yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.” Governments and institutions across the world do not know or follow God. Who, then, will save the vulnerable who are being trafficked from the horrors and injustices they are experiencing? The church, the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27) must lead the way.

Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks with compassion on this world; yours are the feet with which He walks to do good; yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world

Christians today often wince at the phrase “social justice” because of its common adoption by partisan political agendas. Because of that, there are times when even Christians unfortunately push back against hearing or doing anything about injustices like these within the walls of the church. But that must change if we, the church, are to live out the reality of who we are: the hands, feet, and body of Christ in the world.

“Every church has a role to play in living out the gospel in our world” (FN9). The church must realize that fighting for justice is the ultimate “expression of the gospel.”9 And the gospel is the solution to injustice. Because of this, fighting against modern-day slavery is ministry. But today’s Western church has become accustomed to living comfortable lives and not taking risks: “for far too long we’ve let governments and non-governmental organizations do what God has called the church to do… we’re letting the world take over our identity!”10 God calls his followers to care for the vulnerable: the orphans, the poor, the oppressed. We should not just be involved—we should lead the way. Byun affirms that “true freedom and justice can only come through the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . [because] the deeper root of human slavery today is sin.”11

Be the Change
How can the church begin to change the evil of human trafficking? We must remember some important precursors to fighting injustice in the world. Byun reminds us that our “first response towards injustice” should be “to look to God in faith” to right both the evils in the world and the evil in our own hearts.12 Before we try to remove the speck in our brother’s eye, we must remove the log in our own. “If we take an honest examination of our heart, we will find that there is great evil that lives within our lives as well. We need to kill it and surrender it at the feet of Jesus.”13

With this humble approach, we can then pray that others who commit injustices will realize their sin and come to God to be saved and transformed. We must remember that God’s heart is that none should perish, but all would have everlasting life and be reconciled by a relationship with Jesus (see 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16).

If we take an honest examination of our heart, we will find that there is great evil that lives within our lives as well. We need to kill it and surrender it at the feet of Jesus

Byun offers several options for how people can partner with God in pursuing justice for the needy. By creating a prayer team, anyone can create a space for change to occur by coming before God with fellow believers to pray and fast and ask God to act and end the evils of human trafficking. An awareness team can help educate people about the far-reaching and significant problem of modern-day oppression. This can be achieved through studying the history of slavery to gain a better understanding of current oppression, screening films that raise awareness, or having a small group focus on these topics. A research team can gather data and research trafficking cases within its city to support the awareness team. Networking groups can help form connections with others participating in the fight so that ministries can help support one another. A restoration team is a group that supports safe houses where victims can have the space to find healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Finally, an outreach team partners with experienced people in its city to build relationships with sex-trafficking victims to let them know there are people ready to help them at a moment’s notice.

As we imitate Jesus in his sacrificial love towards those around us, we showcase the love and light of God. We can then tell the good news of King Jesus’ liberating forgiveness. Byun explains that he has seen that when “we love people by caring for their physical needs, it opens their hearts to hear the gospel message . . . . We must never use caring for the physical needs of others only as our foot in the door to try to evangelize others. Let us be a generation that will truly love our neighbors in whatever way we can, whenever we have the opportunity. We must live out the gospel, not just say it.”14

When culture today wonders, Where is justice? The answer is clear: “The world is meant to see it – in you!.”15 In a world filled with darkness—hatred, oppression, and violence, —Christians are to be the body of Christ, beacons of light and love who embody God’s justice.