Does the Bible Condone Slavery?

An Egyptian slave camp at the mines of Timnah.




A topic I often encounter on the internet is that the Bible and Christianity are evil because they condone slavery.  To prove the point, they bring up and quote verses from the Bible that regulate slavery (such as Exo. 21:1-11, Lev. 25:44-46) or that counsel slaves to be submissive to their masters (such as Eph. 6:5-9, Col. 3:22-25).  Do these verses tell us that God is in favor of slavery and is therefore evil?

The Valley of Jezreel in Prophecy

A view of the Jezreel Valley from Mt. Carmel

Hosea 1 tells of the awesome importance of the Jezreel Valley both in prophecies already fulfilled and others that will be fulfilled in the future.  What will happen here, and how are these things connected with God’s plan and our future?