God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?

Helen Paynter's book 'God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?' is well-written and thought-provoking. It is so easy to ignore the questions of violence in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, but Helen approaches the task with academic integrity and a compassionate and readable writing style. The book would suit those who have questions on this topic, whether or not they are well-versed in biblical theology, which is one of its strengths. Helen divides the book into two sections; the first, on reading the Bible, is useful to set the stage for what she does in the second, main part. The layers unpeeled, roughly in ascending order of difficulty are: violence described, violence implored, violence against animals, violence as divine judgement, violence commanded. There is then a chapter on shalom. Although Helen Paynter does not offer easy answers, she wrestles well with the texts and how to interpret them and offers a number of useful guidelines. Throughout, there are very helpful endnotes and references. She tackles the subject with the humility and honesty of one who appreciates its importance and potential resonances. She relates carefully and appropriately with history, including examples in recent history which will be meaningful to her readers. I do recommend this book, though I am still left with questions. That in itself is not an issue, as a Christian and a theologian. The contents have helped crystallise and further my own thinking on the matters raised, and this invariably leads to more questions. I received a copy of this book for free. No compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.