📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture does not use the word "colonialism," but it addresses the principles at stake. God commanded Israel to settle Canaan and establish His law there — a divinely mandated colonization with a specific redemptive purpose (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). The Great Commission sends believers into all nations to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). At the same time, Scripture condemns the exploitation and oppression of the stranger: "You shall not oppress a sojourner" (Exodus 23:9). The biblical framework evaluates expansion not by whether it happened but by whether it was conducted justly, bringing truth and blessing or exploitation and cruelty.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Colony: A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country to cultivate and inhabit it.
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COL'ONY, n. [L. colonia.] A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction and control of the mother country. Note: Webster understood colonization as a neutral act of settlement — its moral character determined by how it was conducted.
📖 Key Scripture
• Matthew 28:19-20 — "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
• Exodus 23:9 — "You shall not oppress a sojourner."
• Acts 17:26-27 — "He made from one man every nation...having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Colonialism is either uncritically defended or used as a universal explanation for all modern inequality.
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The modern debate on colonialism is captured by two unbiblical extremes. The progressive left treats all Western expansion as inherently evil, dismissing the spread of Christianity, literacy, medicine, and rule of law as mere instruments of oppression. This framework makes "decolonization" a moral imperative that includes dismantling Christian influence itself. The opposite error romanticizes colonial empires as purely civilizing missions, ignoring real injustices — slavery, exploitation, and the violation of peoples made in God's image. A biblical assessment is more nuanced: missionary expansion brought the Gospel to nations that had never heard it, while imperial greed often brought oppression. Both realities coexist, and honest evaluation requires distinguishing between the two.
Usage
• "The Great Commission is the most consequential colonization in history — the expansion of Christ's kingdom into every nation on earth."
• "A biblical evaluation of colonialism condemns exploitation while honoring the genuine spread of the Gospel and Christian civilization."