From Conquest to the Cross: How the Bible Transforms Violence

Many Christians struggle with the violence and conquest language of the Old Testament—especially texts like Joshua that seem at odds with the way of Jesus. In this episode, biblical scholar Helen Paynter helps us read these passages within the unfolding story of Scripture, showing how themes like warfare and power are transformed at the cross. Together, we explore why using these texts to justify modern political or military agendas is theologically thin, and how deeper biblical literacy helps Christians discern when Scripture is being misused.

About HelenHelen is a former nephrologist who followed a call into Baptist ministry, training at Bristol Baptist College and serving in associate and interim ministry roles in South Bristol before taking up her current full-time role at the college in 2020. She holds a PhD in Old Testament, along with master’s degrees in Biblical Studies and Missional Church Leadership, and her research focuses on narrative texts in the Hebrew Bible, particularly themes of violence, humor, and the misuse of Scripture. Helen is the founding director of the College’s Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, which equips churches and scholars to engage biblical texts responsibly in a violent world. She is deeply committed to teaching and preaching, passionate about the Bible’s life-giving power through the Spirit, and attentive to the harm it can cause when misused. Her most recent book is Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence (Zondervan, 2023).

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