The Destruction of the Canaanites by Charlie Trimm

Author:Charlie Trimm
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Summary

In sum, scholars who adhere to the second view of reevaluating the Old Testament tend to read the Old Testament narratives literally, believing that they contain depictions of genocide. However, for historical, ethical, or theological reasons they reject either entire texts or certain violent aspects of texts. Naturally, this has significant implications for the doctrine of inerrancy, as these scholars see either historical or ethical errors in the Old Testament. The subtitle of Thom Stark’s book illustrates this: The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (And Why Inerrancy Tries to Hide It). Wes Morriston’s main point in bringing up the topic of genocide is the need to reject inerrancy.34 If one wants to take this view and hold onto inerrancy, a different definition of inerrancy than has historically been accepted will be required.35 Scholars in this group also tend to avoid doctrinal debates based on the Bible.36 For example, Enns says that “the Bible is not a weapon, a sword to be wielded today against modern-day Canaanites or Babylonians. It is a book where we meet God.”37

In spite of rejecting the violent texts, these scholars generally desire to retain the importance and relevance of the Old Testament. In general terms, John Collins recommends that the interpreter be less certain about proclaiming what the Bible teaches: “Perhaps the most constructive thing a biblical critic can do toward lessening the contribution of the Bible to violence in the world is to show that such certitude is an illusion.”38 Seibert calls for removing the corrosive aspects of a story while keeping the constructive parts. For example, in Exodus 15 readers should discard the image of God as a warrior, but keep God’s hatred of injustice. In this way, readers do not reject these texts entirely, but only the offensive portions of them. Thus, believers can still learn even from these violent texts.39 Thom Stark advocates keeping the rejected texts, but not as a guide to follow. Instead, according to Stark, “They must be retained as scripture, precisely as condemned texts. Their status as condemned is exactly their scriptural value. That they are condemned is what they reveal to us about God.”40 That is, their rejection shows us that this is precisely how God does not act.

The reevaluation of the Old Testament provides obvious ethical benefits by disassociating God from biblical violence. However, it comes at the cost of being able to trust the Old Testament as a reliable document. Choosing this view also usually entails a rejection of inerrancy (or at least a significant redefinition of the idea). Since many Christians are uncomfortable with these views about the nature of God and the Bible, the social cost of taking this approach may be quite high—perhaps even leading to the loss of a job or removal from fellowship at a church.

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