The Harlot,the Beast and the Sex Trafficker: Reflections on some Recent Feminist Interpretations of Revelation 17-18

The image of the whore of Babylon in Rev 17-18 has often been used to support the idea of the prostitute as the ultimate sinner. This attitude may be contributing to a lack of involvement by Christians in counteracting contemporary sex-trafficking. Recent feminist scholarship has rightly pointed out the insidious nature of such interpretations of the passage. However, their focus on gender rather than the idolatrous greed which the whore represents, and which is the underlying cause of sex-trafficking, could unintentionally hinder effective campaigning and add to the suffering of victims.