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I’ve been pondering the Evangelical fight against human trafficking for the past few months and wondering about the dynamics of how this commitment merges with their political alignments. A thread:
Evangelicals in the U.S. are known for their work against human trafficking, starting many important organizations along the way. I want to state from the outset that it’s admirable work, as trafficking is unequivocally a moral evil. Full stop.
However, I think the commitment to fighting it exposes a few discrepancies in the Evangelical political theology. The first thing that comes to mind is critical analysis of structures and epistemology.
I’ve noticed that Evangelicals are often skeptical of social analysis when related to the intersection of race, gender, class, etc. We don’t need to look much farther than current events and their reactions. By in large, there’s a tendency to protect the powerful.
What’s troubling though is that, with trafficking, Evangelicals readily admit that there are some structures set to perpetuate it. Hell, they even acknowledge that the market perpetuates it.
However, they are hesitant to acknowledge the larger intersections of capitalism and white supremacy that create the issue of trafficking to begin with.additionally, they opt for conspiracy theories rather than well-researched in depth analysis. Why?
I think it’s largely due to political alignments. IF it were correct that capitalism itself (along with its racialized interior) was the main force behind the evil of trafficking, Evangelicals would have to begin costly work. And they can’t afford that.
It would cost long held political allegiances as well as lifestyle changes. Given Evangelicalism’s oft individualistic focus, I don’t see how their current theological commitments could hold such costs.
For example: the Epstein case reveals a widespread reality that the wealthy can create the conditions of law. Maxwell, Clinton, etc. all involved. Evangelicals are fine with taking a sort of Gnostic Q-Anon approach because it plays into their theological commitments.
BUT, the moment you suggest that rather than a secret society conspiracy it’s actually just the reality of wealth and it’s depriving impact on society, you’ve lost them. Especially since it implicates Donald Trump on raping children. That shatters their glass house.
Anyways, I think that the average Evangelical sincerely believes that trafficking is evil. Sincerely. But until they address these larger commitments, I don’t think they’ll ever win the fight against it.
