"However, I am willing to hear what you can produce from Scripture in favor of any kind of slavery"

Samuel Hopkins’s words reflect a clear willingness to engage in reasoned theological debate while holding a skeptical stance regarding the biblical justification for slavery. His statement addresses an interlocutor, likely someone who believes that slavery is defensible on scriptural grounds, and makes it clear that, while he is open to consideration, he finds such arguments dubious or unconvincing. Hopkins’s phrasing emphasizes two points: first, his commitment to Scripture as the standard for Christian ethics, and second, his confidence that the Bible does not, in truth, support any form of slavery.

His words, situated in the moral struggles of his era, reflect the seriousness with which many religious thinkers grappled with the issue of slavery. By asserting that he is “willing to hear,” Hopkins adopts a tone of intellectual humility and fairness, suggesting a readiness to listen rather than simply argue or denounce. Yet, the phrase “what you can produce from Scripture in favor of any kind of slavery” carries an undercurrent of challenge, implying that he doubts the very possibility of finding such support. Hopkins’s language indicates his anticipation that any biblical defense of slavery will be inadequate or fallacious.

Moreover, this dialogue hints at a larger cultural and theological debate unfolding in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, where both abolitionists and pro-slavery advocates cited Scripture to support their positions. Hopkins stands among the abolitionists who contended that Christianity, rightly understood, opposes the bondage of one human being by another. His willingness to consider the arguments of his opponents, paired with his confidence in the futility of those arguments, aligns with his broader humanitarian convictions and the moral clarity for which many abolitionist leaders strove.

Ultimately, Hopkins’s rhetorical approach seeks to expose the absence of solid scriptural root for slavery, inviting a genuine examination of the Bible while making clear his expectation that it cannot be used to justify oppression.