For some time the book of Philemon has had to take a backseat to the larger and "greater" letters of St. Paul. As with the seasons, attitudes within the church and scholarship change, for how else would we keep so many words spun out? The controversy around the book of Philemon is whether or not it has real "theological" value. In the recent past, some thought no. Present scholarships thinks that there are some very important thoughts within this letter, especially considering how Paul acted compassionately toward the slave Onesimus. Is this a model for how the contemporary church might relate to the marginalized in our own time?
I believe the key verse in this 25 verse letter is verse 6:
I pray that the sharing of your faith may become more effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.Paul clearly assumes that if Philemon will act justly toward his slave, Onesimus, then the witness to the love and grace of Christ will be apparent to the community in which Philemon resides. It is very important for Philemon to do this "going against the stream of manumission since it in his house (household) in which the church gathers and worships.
A touchy issue for the contemporary church regards Paul's benign acceptance of the institution of slavery. He advocates for the freedom of one man, yet says little of the evil of slavery in the rest of the letter. One reading of this thinking reflects Paul's eschatology -- that is, he believed that Christ's return was "at hand" and the slave/master relationship would be reconciled very shortly. Both the slave and the master would be redeemed from this very evil economic system as God's kingdom would bring. Thus, Philemon's manumission of Onesimus would be a witness to bring more into the community of faith.
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