Was It Something I Read?

Summary
In our inaugural episode, we give an overview of some of the biblical texts that talk about the slaughter of innocents and war rape that rightly cause us such ethical discomfort. Pushing through the awkwardness of never having done this before, we talk about what we hope to gain from reading this book and give an overview of the authors’ arguments, and talk about how hard questions sometimes emerge from deeper faith, and not skepticism. We also consider how we picture war, both ancient and modern, and consider to what degree Hollywood has affected our perceptions.
Show Notes

1) Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:

This podcast is a production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.

Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things

https://www.amazon.ca/God-Violence-Yesterday-Love-Today/dp/1532691033

Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines, Le June, Nbhd Nick

2) Webb and Oeste’s list of troubling texts (p. 25 n. 1):

Genocide:

Num 21:2-3
Deut 2:34; 3:6; 7:2; 13:15; 20:16-17
Josh 6:21
1 Sam 15:3

War rape:
Num 31:17-18, 25
Deut 21:10-14

3) Also referenced in this episode were the stories in Joshua of Rahab (Josh. 2) and the Gibeonites (Josh. 9-10).

4) On the issue of whether there’s an angry God of the Old Testament, and a reformed, loving God in the New Testament, there are a number of good resources, such as the book by CSBV’s director Dr Helen Paynter, God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?

1 Listener

The Ballot and the Bible Ep. 4 -- Chapters 6-7 -- Of Small Governments and Big End Times

Was It Something I Read?

11/15/24 • 54 min

Summary
Join us for a conversation that takes a surprising but enjoyable turn into church history, as we discuss Chapter 6 "The Magic of the Market: the hermeneutics of small government" and Chapter 7 "The Late Great United States: biblical eschatology in the Cold War.
No panda references, but we do find ourselves wondering if the heavenly city might be depicted as a Borg cube.Notes
Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:
A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/
Huge appreciation to Kitchener Public Library for the use of their recording studio.
https://www.kpl.org/
Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things
https://www.facebook.com/ISA4048
Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

Bloody, Brutal and Barbaric? Ep.7 1 Samuel 15 and Hyperbole

Was It Something I Read?

04/13/23 • 26 min

Summary
In a slightly short episode, we talk about 1 Samuel 15, and some of the ways in which it seems, at first glance, to be a challenge to Webb and Oeste’s suggestion that hyperbole is an extensive part of how war instructions are given and carried out in Israel. What becomes apparent is that hyperbole is most definitely in use in that text, also, and we consider what that means, and what the author of Samuel intends for the readers to hear.
And since the subject and tone of this episode was less intense, we left in a few of our funnier flubs. This might be an intense and weighty book, but we have a great time together.

Notes
1) We briefly mention the Battle of Qarqar in this episode, the largest battle to that point in the ancient world, which happened during the reign of (and was participated in by) the Israelite King Ahab. Interestingly, this massive battle is not mentioned in the Bible. Listeners who would like to go further down the rabbit hole on this battle’s conspicuous absence from scripture may be interested in this blogpost from the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence:
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/2020/11/23/what-the-biblical-authors-skipped/
2) Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:
A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/
Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things
https://www.facebook.com/ISA4048
Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

Bloody, Brutal and Barbaric? Ep.2 Traditional Answers and Reading Redemptively Part One

Was It Something I Read?

02/02/23 • 33 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=helxFeG-0n0

Summary

With less awkwardness and a little more laughter, we talk about chapters 2-4 of Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric. We think about the trouble with traditional answers to the Canaanite conquest and the importance of perspective. Patterns in scripture, such as the concern for sacred space and literal and figurative Canaanites, help to provide a framework for a redemptive reading of scripture. We also have good conversations about our perspectives of God, and where they might be insufficient.

Notes

1) This is a condensed version of Louie Giglio’s “all creation worships” sermon that Kate mentioned.

2) CSBV director Dr Helen Paynter’s article on Jesus’ victory over evil paralleling Israel’s victory over the Canaanites:

Paynter, Helen. “Matthew’s Gadarene Swine and the Conquest of Jericho: An Intertextual Reading.” Pacific Journal of Theological Research 14, no. 2 (2019): 13-24.

3) Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:

This podcast is a production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.

Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things

Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines, Le June, Nbhd Nick

Bloody, Brutal and Barbaric? Ep. 3 Traditional Answers and Reading Redemptively Part Two

Was It Something I Read?

02/16/23 • 29 min

Summary

Carrying on from the prior episode, we continue to talk about divine purpose and human failings, messy toddlers, and the sometimes painful results and moral grey areas wrought by the actions of humans who are in process. An interesting conversation about non-combatant innocents and theological innocence leads to questions about unintentional category shifts in scholarship, and raises (though doesn’t explore!) questions about the differing Calvinist/Arminian perspectives on guilt and innocence. We conclude with a reflection on evil and suffering, and Kate reminds us that the scales of goodness and justice will yet be balanced by the God who is making all things new.

Credits

Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:

This podcast is a production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.

Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things

Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines, Le June, Nbhd Nick

Bloody, Brutal and Barbaric? Ep. 9 The Relationship between “Drive Out” and “Total Kill”

Was It Something I Read?

05/18/23 • 27 min

Summary

In this episode, we dive into how Webb and Oeste explain the relationship between the "drive out" and "total kill" instructions in Scripture. We see that it doesn’t make sense for them to be two words for the same thing, but they are related. They actually function as two means to the same end, and we'll discuss how the authors develop this idea of "shared-goal equivalency."

This conversation led us to talk about God's mercy and patience, and to re-evaluate whether we tell and apply these stories in a way that truly reflects God's tone.

Notes

Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:

A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.

Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things

Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

Aldarion and Erendis -- the wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien, part 1

Was It Something I Read?

06/26/24 • 32 min

During this between season break, guest Gabe Magnus joins Ashley to discuss a small but profound meditation on war, militarization, and neighbour love found in the story of Aldarion and Erendis, from the Unfinished Tales of J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as some of the implications that we see as citizens of the peaceable kingdom.
Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:
A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/
Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things
https://www.facebook.com/ISA4048
Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

Aldarion and Erendis -- the wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien, part 2

Was It Something I Read?

07/03/24 • 34 min

During this between season break, guest Gabe Magnus joins Ashley to discuss a small but profound meditation on war, militarization, and neighbour love found in the story of Aldarion and Erendis, from the the Unfinished Tales of J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as some of the implications that we see as citizens of the peaceable kingdom.
Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:
A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/
Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things
https://www.facebook.com/ISA4048
Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

The Ballot and the Bible Ep. 2 -- The Use of Scripture in Slavery and in Social Gospel

Was It Something I Read?

10/18/24 • 67 min

Summary
In this episode, we look at chapters 3 and 4, in which Schiess looks at the use of scripture in both the defense of American slavery and in the social gospel. We look at how we use the stories of scripture to form our identities, where that can fall short and be misused. We talk about how easy it is to find what one wants to find in scripture, as well as the ways in which deep engagement with scripture tends to lead people to God's heart for reconciliation and liberation.
Notes
Our thanks and appreciation to our partners:
A production of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence.
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/
Huge appreciation to Kitchener Public Library for the use of their recording studio.
https://www.kpl.org/
Podcast cover art by Studio of Broken Things
https://www.facebook.com/ISA4048
Intro music "Br1ghter" by Tape Machines (feat. Le June & Nbhd Nick)

The Ballot and the Bible Ep. 3 -- "A Stick of Dynamite": Civil Rights and Scripture

Was It Something I Read?

10/25/24 • 38 min