"Ending Human Trafficking" by Moore, Morgan and Yim. A Review
It’s a difficult topic for Americans
and American Christians to get their minds around. We have been accustomed to
thinking of slavery as some soiling blemish on our national past that we
finally fixed by war and proclamation. Yet, the stark reality is that
enslavement has been a deep part of human history all along and is still alive
and well in the present. It’s economic-based, or ethnic-based, or gender-based,
but it’s always about power and production and profitability. And it is a
problem in our neck of the woods as well as globally. Yet there are significant
approaches that churches can take to make a difference. To help, a new 224-page
paperback has arrived as a guide for those desiring to address modern forms of
slavery, “Ending Human Trafficking: A Handbook of Strategies for the Church
Today.” This manual is compiled by Shayne Moore, author, editor and
activist, Sandra Morgan, director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at
Vanguard University, and Kimberly McOwen Yim, cofounder and director of the
SOCO Institute.
The authors wrote the book to “inform
a collaborative and cohesive biblical response in our churches, nonprofit
organizations, and ministry efforts.” They aim to “educate and assist” readers
and church leadership “in discerning what part of it you can build
collaboratively with your greater community” (3). It is a valuable, and useable
resource that steers away from potholes and pitfalls, into being better at
tackling this significant, multi-billion-dollar industry. Human trafficking,
whether it is labor or domestic or sex, has shackled well over 25 million
people in our day.
The book revolves around the 6-Ps: Prevention,
Protection, Prosecution, Partnership, Policy, and Prayer. As it works through
each principle in detail, the writers explain what most churches and nonprofits
can honestly and honorably do, and what they must avoid. Most of the details
are practical. Many of them seem organic, in that lots of churches are already
doing some version of them. As the authors discuss prevention, as an example,
they’re clear about its significance. “Focusing primarily on prevention is the
only way to end human trafficking and modern slavery” (42). They then develop
the particulars of prevention that are doable. Each chapter is interspersed
with real-life examples and assessments by others who have been engaged with
ending human trafficking.
I appreciated how practical the
volume is. Not just that it provides doable steps and strategies, but also how
it lives in the real world. For instance, the authors recognize that not every
“church has to have a separate ministry addressing human trafficking, but in
providing information and language around the problem, we hope to help leaders
see strategic ways their church may already be addressing this problem” (152).
That is a sane recognition and scores big with me. I was also grateful for how
the writers promote patience. When talking about survivors healing and
recovering, they note that their healing takes time, “longer than emotions last”.
In fact, they correctly observe that justice “takes time. And this is justice
work” (127). The whole book avoids the idealized “success-in-ten-easy-steps”
syndrome and the “success-now” malady that infects many programs that are
focused on applying biblically shaped justice in our historical moment.
I found “Ending Human Trafficking” a
valuable work on a topic that has been dear to my heart for near 20 years. As a
Christian minister I encourage all other Christian ministers and leaders to
snatch up a copy and work through it. For those who are concerned about human
trafficking, whether they’re on the frontlines or sidelines, this paperback
will aid you in having a better perspective and thinking through how you can
approach the trouble thoughtfully and thoroughly. I highly recommend the work.
My thanks to IVP Academic who sent me
the copy used for this review at my request. They made no demands on me. They
offered me no brides. Therefore, this analysis is all mine, freely made and
freely given.
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