God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?: Wrestling honestly with the Old Testament

by Helen Paynter

Do you find the violence in the Old Testament a problem? Does it get in the way of reading the Bible – and of faith itself? While acknowledging that there are no easy answers, in God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?, Helen Paynter faces the questions head-on and offers a fresh, accessible approach to a significant issue. For all those seeking to engage with the Bible and gain confidence in the God it portrays, she provides tools for reading and interpreting biblical texts, and points to ways of dealing with the overall trajectories of violence. 'In lucid prose Helen Paynter argues that violence featured in the biblical canon should not be ignored or denied but acknowledged and faced honestly. While history is played out in a broken and often violent world the author shows how the movement of scripture is toward God’s creative intention for healing and wholeness. Without providing final answers Paynter offers ways of interpreting even the most violent passages so that we may hear God’s word for today.' John Meredith, Editor of Word & Worship 'A rigorous yet accessible exploration of Old Testament violence ideal for individuals or groups wishing to engage with these troubling texts and the issues they raise. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in the questions it explores. If you are new to the subject, it offers a comprehensive introduction and the reassurance that you are being guided by a capable and safe pair of hands as you begin to engage with challenging and important issues.' Peter King, Diocese of Chichester

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2019

Reviews

[Colin Michaelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t miss the question mark at the end of the title. This is not a treatise on a God who has a changing nature, but rather an answer (at least in part) to the questions that we all consider when reading the Old Testament stories, especially books like Joshua, where violence and injunctions to violence seem prominent.

The book is careful and thorough despite being a short book. It’s a quick read on a tough subject. Helen Paynter does an excellent job in parsing through different facets of violence and helps us to read the text well, especially when a superficial reading of the text is not only unhelpful in understanding violence in God’s economy, but actually quite wrong in many cases.

I did not agree with everything in the book, but it is honest, clear and very well written, and my disagreements were few. I found it immensely helpful and educational.

Paynter finishes with the contrast to violence, the alternative of ‘shalom’. This is God’s intention. It was at creation and it will be in a new heaven and earth. Amen to the book’s closing sentence, “May the Lord teach us to understand his great plan for the shalom of the whole cosmos, and may we participate with him in it.”

[Joanne Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched, engaging presentation of the premise

Painter has presented an interesting and well thought-out volume on the violence of the Old Testament, introducing some compelling argumentsI hadn't considered before. While the author and I don't agree 100% doctrinally, her "honest wrestling" was compelling, and kept me turning pages.

[Andy Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a challenging issue - why parts of the Bible seem so full of violence - and how this can be reconciled with the concept of a loving God. She breaks different scriptural texts into types for her discussion in a way that is helpful.
Her thesis is that these texts should not be taken literally and she offers a range of alternative interpretations that allow the violence to be seen metaphorically. I particularly liked her skilful 'defence' of Ps. 137:9 'Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!'
The lack of an index makes it difficult to use as a future reference.

[MARTYN J · Rating 1 out of 5]

The alarm bells began to ring early on when Ernest Lucas was quoted. My suspicions were confirmed on page 94 when all theological credibility was jettisoned. I stopped reading at that point.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good attempt to look at the insoluble problems raised by some aspects of the Old Testament.