Unbelievable? Greg Boyd & Paul Copan debate Old Testament violence and Boyd's new theology in Crucifixion Of The Warrior God
Jan 19, 2018
Greg Boyd, a pastor and theologian known for his work on the Renew movement, engages in a thought-provoking debate with Paul Copan, a philosopher and author of 'Is God a Moral Monster?'. They explore Boyd's cruciform hermeneutic—how Christ’s cross reinterprets Old Testament violence. Topics include divine character, cultural accommodation in ancient texts, and the nature of divine judgment versus violence. Boyd argues for reading violent images as literary crucifixes, while Copan defends a synthesis view of continuity between the Testaments.
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Synthesis Approach Via New Testament
- Paul Copan situates himself as a 'synthesis' interpreter who reads troubling OT texts in light of the New Testament.
- He plans to use NT interpretation to show continuity rather than radical reinterpretation away from violent portrayals.
Seeing The Cross By Faith
- Boyd asks how the crucified criminal becomes the revealing portrait of God for believers.
- He argues faith lets believers look through the cross's ugly surface to see God's sacrificial love.
Cross-Centered Hermeneutic
- Boyd claims the cross is the culminating revelation of God's character and should hermeneutically govern interpretation.
- He calls violent Old Testament portraits 'literary crucifixes' that point to Christ when read through the cross-lens.
