Can Christians faithfully read the Bible’s violent passages without using them to justify violence today?
From the conquest narratives in Joshua to modern political rhetoric, Scripture has often been invoked to defend power, war, and national agendas. But what if we’ve been reading these texts the wrong way?
In this episode, Caleb Campbell sits down with renowned Old Testament scholar John Walton to explore one of the Bible’s most challenging questions: What do we do with the violence in Scripture?
Together they discuss:
Why violence appears so frequently in the biblical story
Whether God commands violence in the Old Testament
What the Israelite “conquest” was—and wasn’t
Why using Joshua to justify colonialism, Christian nationalism, or modern warfare is a profound misuse of Scripture
How ancient conquest rhetoric differs from modern historical reporting
Why the Bible is God’s story—not a collection of proof texts for our political or ideological agendas
How Christians can respond when Scripture is used to justify violence today
Along the way, Walton offers a compelling challenge: one of the greatest threats to biblical authority isn’t that we ignore Scripture—it’s that we use it to sanctify our own ambitions.
If you’ve ever wrestled with the Bible’s violent passages or wondered how to faithfully read difficult texts in a polarized age, this conversation will give you both practical tools and fresh hope for engaging Scripture with greater wisdom, humility, and integrity.
