Scripture and Power in Palestine; Old Testament focus with Niveen Sarras, Ashley Hibbard, and respondent Brandon Hurlbert.
Friday 1 Dec, 7pm UK time. Join online.
A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. By Executive Director Revd Dr Helen Paynter.
A 6 part video-led course to equip the church to resist domestic abuse and coercive control.
A new podcast using everyday theology looking at important and uncomfortable issues facing the church through discussion of some excellent books.
A five course certificate program that will equip lay leaders and interested believers to think well about the violent texts of scripture, and the use of scripture in a violent world.
A new blog series curating a range of perspectives on the use of violence imagery in church music.
Welcome to the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence (CSBV), from
Revd Dr Helen Paynter
Executive Director
Dr Ashley Hibbard
Director of Operations
The Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence is a research centre to study the overlap between the Bible and violence. Our work falls into two areas:
- Interpretation of violence that the Bible contains
- Studying the ways that the Bible is weaponised
We do this in two ways:
- We are a lively research community producing academic output in the form of books, papers, conferences, podcasts, and lectures. We have our own peer-reviewed open access journal, the JSBV. We offer postgraduate study opportunities, at Masters and doctoral level
- We aim to support churches in understanding biblical violence and to help them avoid using the Bible in ways that harm. We do this through accessible books, public lectures, Bible study materials, a preachers’ blog, and a variety of online talks.
More about us
We are an ecumenical Christian organisation, embedded within Bristol Baptist College in the UK.
We believe that the Bible, God’s word to us, has a trajectory that points to God’s heart for peace and justice. We are convinced that the highest revelation of the character of God is found in Christ crucified, but that faithful, rigorous biblical interpretation can help us to reveal the upright and loving character of God in both Testaments.
We are therefore dedicated to rigorous, honest scholarship which does not shy away from asking hard questions of the text and interpreters. At core, we are committed to a confessional, faithful reading of scripture, but we are also committed to respectful dialogue with scholars from many faith backgrounds and ideological stances.
You can read more fully about our core convictions here.
If you are interested in learning more about our work, please get in touch with us by emailing the Executive Director at paynterh@bristol-baptist.ac.uk
About CSBV
CSBV is a research and resource hub to promote and facilitate scholarship in the area of Bible and Violence; and to produce accessible resources for the church. Find out more.
