Lovell: Vengeance is Mine

Vengeance is Mine: Wrestling with the Violence of God in the Old Testament (Part I)

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Lovell: Vengeance is Mine

It was to some poor shepherds one night in a field outside of Bethlehem that a heavenly army of angels appeared delivering a message of “peace on earth, goodwill towards men.” The Prince of Peace had been born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. Contrary to the Marcionite dichotomy…

Vengeance is Mine: Wrestling with the Violence of God in the Old Testament (Part II)

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Lovell: Vengeance is Mine

In the previous article, I presented the problem of the divine sanction of violence in the Old Testament given the fact that Israel’s God repeatedly states that He hates violence. I then provided two arguments that serve to contextualize God’s commands or His seeming approval of violent acts committed by His people. First, violence occurs…