Violence in the Bible?
Reading through the Old Testament and looking at the history of Christianity, the question of violence often legitimately raised by our Muslim friends and by others, especially when Christians often critique Islam on being a movement rooted in violent conquest. Here are some ways of helping us navigate this what is a difficult subject that we as Christians often find hard to understand?
Jesus commanded us to love and pray for our enemies
coming soon Whatever we may think of violence in the Old Testament, Jesus taught and set us an example to love and pray for our nations. »
Christianity was and is spread by Christians submitting to the sword, not by wielding one
coming soon Christian spread though a message of love by Christians who were willing to suffer shame and death for the name of Jesus rather than by seeking to conquer nations by force. »
Many Old Testament wars were not commanded by God
coming soon While in some circumstances wars were instigated by God many Old Testament wars were an expression of the sinful actions of God's people »
The conquest of Canaan was God's response to their sin
coming soon Israel's conquest of Canaan was commanded by God but was a one-time, geographically limited response to their moral corruptness. »
Violence in the Old Testament is descriptive not prescriptive
coming soon Looking at the Law in the Old Testament, we see that God never commanded war and violence against other nations to have a nominal place in the life of His people. »