Slavery is bad. That’s the common belief held by people in the modern era, or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be. However, in recent times, there seem to be more and more voices arguing otherwise. Christian nationalist podcaster Joshua Haymes, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, recently claimed that slavery isn’t something Christians should condemn. His main argument is that the Bible never explicitly denounces slavery, and therefore Christians shouldn’t condemn it either, because doing so would go against the teachings of Scripture. He further argued that people should refrain from judging or condemning those from the past who practiced slavery, saying they were simply acting according to the norms of their time.
The Nashville podcaster referred to this modern moral judgment as “chronological snobbery,” claiming that people today have no right to criticize those from the past, since we can’t predict whether future generations might view our own actions as barbaric or unacceptable.
Haymes also claimed that owning slaves didn’t necessarily mean mistreating them, suggesting that there should be a distinction between slave owners who abused their slaves and those who supposedly did not. The Nashville podcaster concluded his remarks by saying that Christians are not allowed to condemn the institution of slavery because, according to him, the Bible does not explicitly forbid it.
It is safe to say this was a major hot take coming from Joshua Haymes. Many internet users were stunned to hear such words from him, though perhaps not entirely surprised considering his background.
“No hate is quite like Christian love,” one user commented. Another wrote, “I don’t really trust anyone whose morality is based solely on what some random people thought a few thousand years ago.” Some users even questioned whether Haymes’ statement was satire, as they found it hard to believe anyone could actually be serious about such a thing. But unfortunately, Joshua Haymes appeared to be completely serious.
Others online remarked that if Haymes truly accepted slavery as a legitimate institution, then he should have no problem becoming a slave himself one day. One user wrote, “As far as this guy goes, someone needs to take him and enslave him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind since the Bible says it’s okay. I believe it’s his duty to become a slave if he wants to be a good Christian. /s.”
Meanwhile, other users expressed deeper concern about the broader implications of Haymes’ beliefs. Some pointed out that Joshua Haymes was reportedly the pastor of United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which raised alarms about the potential influence such views could have at the highest levels of government. Considering how powerful Hegseth is, many people couldn’t help but wonder what kind of decisions this group might make for America in the future.
