Conversations are Getting Harder...

So, I promised in my last post that I'd explain what I meant. Well, here goes:
We are studying the time frame when St. Augustine went to Britain to teach the Angle-Saxons about Christianity. Sadly, the way St. Augustine found out that the Angles didn't know about Christ was via the Pope, who found out via a slave trader who had just been to Britain kidnapping their 8 year old boys to bring back as slaves. This slave-trader's point of view was that he could do so because these people were barbaric and didn't accept or know anything about Christ. Ug. The Pope of course believed this to be evil, used some of the church's money to buy the boys from this slave trader, and sent them home to Britain with St. Augustine as an escort, where Augustine was to stay and teach the people.

The hard part here is explaining that slavery took place among Christians. Zac knew about slave trade, we've read Follow The Drinking Gourd and had some great discussions on how all people are equal and should be treated as children of God. He just didn't know that those who practiced in the slave trade considered themselves Christian. He always imagined them as these evil devil-worshipers. And who knows, just because you proclaim to love Christ doesn't mean you're not evil. Anyhow, as he reads more and more and studies, the black and white is fading into gray.

I thought it would take longer to get to this point, but part of me is glad we are talking now, so we can brainstorm ways to make the world a better place together as he gets older.