Trading in Souls

There’s a haunting phrase in Scripture that describes the fall of Babylon—the symbol of humanity’s most corrupt economic systems. Revelation 18 lists the luxury goods of that empire: gold, silver, fine linen, and spices. Then comes the final line:

“...and slaves, that is, human souls.” — Revelation 18:13, ESV

That single phrase exposes the darkest side of commerce—when profit outweighs personhood, and the image of God becomes just another line item in a ledger. Babylon fell not just for greed, but for trafficking in what God calls sacred: human life.

Sadly, “trading in souls” didn’t end in the ancient world. It continues today—not always with chains, but through debt, exploitation, and invisible bondage.

One of the most heartbreaking examples is the brick kiln industry, where modern-day slavery still traps entire families—including women and children—in bonded labor. Impoverished workers take small cash advances, called peshgis, often for a medical emergency or a wedding. But those debts are designed never to be repaid.

Owners falsify records, inflate interest, and pass debts from parents to children. Many are born into bondage, spending their entire lives in scorching heat, molding bricks by hand for twelve to sixteen hours a day—without wages, without rights, without hope.

The conditions are brutal. Temperatures exceed 2,000°F. Children as young as five breathe toxic dust. Many of the enslaved are Christians or religious minorities, facing added discrimination and abuse. Families are threatened, daughters sold, women assaulted—all to keep the cycle unbroken.

When Revelation speaks of Babylon’s merchants “weeping” at the fall of their markets, it reminds us that economics without ethics always ends in mourning. These brick kilns are not just a social injustice; they are a spiritual one.

And yet, the gospel gives us a different model—an economy of redemption. Isaiah 58 calls God’s people to “loose the chains of injustice… set the oppressed free and break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6, NIV). Steward investors have the privilege of doing just that—to reimagine capital as a tool for freedom, not oppression.

Recently, we facilitated a Kingdom investment into a pilot project in Pakistan designed to create a viable economic alternative for these families—using technology to produce clean, energy-efficient bricks through employment that pays fair wages and provides debt-free ownership opportunities. It’s small, but it’s sacred. Every job created is a soul reclaimed from Babylon’s market.

We believe this is what faithful stewardship looks like in the modern world—not retreating from the marketplace, but redeeming it.

The prophet Ezekiel condemned the ancient city of Tyre for a similar sin:

“Javan, Tubal, and Meshek… traded human beings and articles of bronze for your merchandise.” — Ezekiel 27:13, NIV

And the prophet Joel cried out,

“They cast lots for my people, traded boys for prostitutes, and sold girls for wine.” — Joel 3:3, NIV

God’s anger in those verses isn’t about economics; it’s about desecration. When the market devours people, it defies its Creator. But when capital restores dignity, it becomes worship.

In every age, the choice remains the same—Babylon or the New Jerusalem. One trades in souls; the other invests in redemption.

The world still trades in souls—but the Steward Investor redeems the trade, transforming capital into compassion and profit into people’s flourishing.

Or as Jesus said,

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” — Mark 8:36, NIV

Let’s make sure our portfolios never forget the difference.