Social justice through the eyes of Wesley: John Wesley's theological challenge to slavery

European enslavement of Africans and the development of the slave trade began in the sixteenth century. As the New World opened up, the slave trade thrived and slave labour became a significant economic force. Slavery itself was seldom challenged on humanitarian or religious grounds - in fact, evangelical leaders often used the Bible to justify slavery. In the late eighteenth century a notable exception emerged: John Wesley. Though little has been written about this dimension of Wesley's li...