Why Slavery in the Bible?

Why does the Bible allow for slavery? Why could Israel have slaves? Why didn't Jesus or Paul push for the abolition of slavery? This is a sensitive subject, especially in light of racial tensions and America's past. First we must remember that kidnapping was deemed evil and prohibited by OT Law. Therefore, slavery was never condoned on that basis. Therefore, American slavery was never approved in the eyes of God, because it was based on the kidnapping of African slaves. However, slavery is not monolithic. There were various circumstances in which slavery was lawful and not a moral evil. We will consider those.