"Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."
That's the request Philip makes to Jesus in John 14:8 (multiple translations). It's a request many of us are still making today when confronted with the violence in the Bible. Did God the Father really command that? Do that? Approve of that?
It's like Jesus left Philip's request unanswered. But he didn't.
"Anyone who has seen me," Jesus said, "has seen the Father" (John 14:9 NIV).
Later, both Paul and the author of Hebrews echo this in their own ways. Jesus is "the visible image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15 NLT) and "the exact representation of [God's] nature" (Heb 1:3 NASB).
But the Bible also says...
Yes, there's a lot of violence that contradicts New Testament teaching about the Father of Jesus, but we always forget something whenever we point this out. We forget that Jesus, Paul, and the author of Hebrews also read and studied and treasured the stories of the Old Testament.
And still they taught that God is like Jesus in every way. He loves like Jesus. He freely forgives like Jesus. He is as nonviolent as Jesus.
What if we learned how to read the Bible like that?
About the site
A Nonviolent God aims to equip you with the imagination and language to migrate from a violent view of God to a nonviolent one.
This migration will involve reorienting how we read the Bible, reframing how we share the good news of the gospel, and reflecting upon how nonviolent beliefs can impact the biggest issues we face in our world today.
Our articles are:
- easy to read and jargon-free
- formatted for online reading
- mobile and browser friendly
- typically 7 to 8 minutes long
- published every Tuesday
- written within series
- available for subscribers only
You can read the following two articles without subscribing. These will give you a taste of what to expect if you choose to become a free Trial Member or a paying Content Member.
About Steve Hall
When I began rejecting a violent view of God in my early twenties, I did not know whether there was a legitimate Christian alternative to turn to. My church community seemed content with the modern evangelical portrayal of God, while I became unable to accept that Jesus’ Father would use violence to save or punish. If it hadn’t been for the gospel stories of Jesus and my repeated Holy Spirit experiences of Father’s love, I probably would not have remained a Christian.
I remember thinking after completing a post-graduate BA in Theology in 2006 that I was more confident than ever about what I didn’t believe, but still very unsure what I did. A chance conversation a year later led to a book recommendation that changed this. Suddenly, I was reading a recently published compilation of theological essays by authors who were validating my own misgivings about the violence of Scripture. More importantly, they were proposing viable nonviolent alternatives.
By 2013, I felt confident enough to tackle writing a book. Let me tell you that there’s nothing like writing a book to shatter the illusion of how far you’ve travelled. It took me four years to write Lament Forgive. I had to re-learn how to read the Bible so that its stories of violence could point towards a God that forgives and acts exactly like Jesus rather than away from one.
I launched A Nonviolent God in January 2025 to help others undergoing the same journey I am. It's both the resource I wish I had access to earlier, as well as the one I'm wanting now. My focus will be on reading specific books or sections of the Bible—starting with Lamentations. I believe the best way to understand the overall concept is to keep seeing it in practice.
By signing up to a paid subscription, you make this site's long-term viability possible. Thank you!
I’m glad you’re here.
Steve Hall
January 2025