For over a thousand years, the letter to Philemon has been interpreted as Paul sending a pilfering slave back to his good Christian master with hopes that he will now be treated as a brother. This interpretation is a critical part of the church's support of slavery in America during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Enslaved Africans were encouraged not to run away and seek freedom because of this interpretation of Paul's actions. Because of this, many African Americans have either rejected or ignored this letter for over a century. In contrast, Lewis Brogdon argues that Paul was doing...