slavery, alive and well

As part of our church's "Christ in the Media" series--which we recently held during Lent--we watched the movie Amazing Grace. It tells the story of the British abolitionist, William Wilberforce, as well as his relationship with the former slave ship captain, John Newton. (He authored the hymn, "Amazing Grace.") For many people, that's the idea they have of slavery: something that was abolished in the 19th century.

Hannah Wallace of Salon.com, in a revealing interview, recently spoke to Benjamin Skinner about his book, A Crime So Monstrous. There are estimates that 27 million people today are victims of debt bondage, forced domestic servitude, and forced prostitution. On this planet, more people are in slavery than ever before. Skinner speaks of his four years under cover of investigative journalism. He recalls a time in Bucharest, Romania, when he was offered a young woman with Down's syndrome in exchange for a used car.

But it's not all bad news. He offers some constructive advice. Read about it right here.