"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.


Here is a video version of my review with a little extra: https://youtu.be/DJLM_6XNS7I

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