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RE: 16 Bible verses that approve of slavery
There is a difference between voluntary slavery and involuntary slavery. In Jewish culture slaves voluntarily served others even if there masters were oppressing them. Hence why there are laws in the Bible that protect slaves.
Exodus 21:16 "He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.
Clearly this is referring to taking people into slavery against their will.
Nowhere in the scripture will you find involuntary/forced slavery condoned. But you will find laws that protect slaves who voluntarily sold themselves and also after a certain amount of time slaves were to be given the choice to be free or remain serving their master. Think of indentured servitude.
Yes, in reading these verses there is a clear theme that there is limits to the ownership of slaves. However, selling yourself or being sold into servitude through a civil judgment (both condoned in these verses) is still a bit questionable. Today a contract can be broken and sorted out in the courts if there is a question of the legitimacy of the agreement and there is no beating someone because they are not fulfilling their end of the bargain to your satisfaction.
So, I can appreciate the protections given to slaves here. However, it is a real problem for the credibility of a book that claims to be a TIMELESS moral compass.
There so many things in this world that God does not like or want in his world. You also have to account for evil. That's why He is building a kingdom that is void of all evil that we know of. Nowhere does it say that God wants and likes slavery. The whole Bible is about the liberation of people from evil which is why those verses are there. To protect against abuse and mistreatment of people. God has a plan to ultimately deal with all of this and the best part is that everyone is invited to the party.