The issue is twofold:  1. That, as long as slavery was legal, it was the duty of Christian slaves to be obedient to their masters, 'not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward.'  2. That the word of God never judges a man for the mere fact of owning another man. To the contrary, it commends several slave owners in highest terms. For example, Abraham, the Roman Centurion, and Philemon.  The abolitionist and other social movements of the the 19th and early 20th centuries - namely the feminist movement, the "temperance" movement, the youth movements, and the socialist movement - greatly affected the Baptist approach to the Scriptures. It was during that time that Baptists began to exalt human wisdom above the Scriptures. Now we are moving towards the 'gay rights movement.' Just as before, there will be those who resist, but in a matter of time acceptance of homosexuality among Baptist churches will be common place.