About the Centre

The Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence is a study centre dedicated to working in the area of the interpretation of biblical texts of violence. It exists to promote and conduct high-quality scholarship, and to serve the churches in the UK and internationally by offering accessible resources to equip them to read the scriptural texts of violence well.

Core convictions

  • We hold to the core apostolic and historical convictions of the Christian church. In particular, we affirm
    • The goodness of God
    • The ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ
    • The presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and the world
    • The faithfulness of the revelation of Scripture
    • God’s purpose for shalom
    • The role of the Church as first-fruits and witness of the eschatological reign of God
  • We believe that scholarship should be academically robust, irenic, dialogical, collaborative, non-competitive and generous
    • To this end we welcome dialogue and collaboration with scholars of all faiths and none, willing to learn from anyone while honouring our mutual prerogative to disagree with courtesy

Mission statement

  • To facilitate cutting-edge scholarship in (a) the interpretation of biblical violence and (b) the ways in which scripture is appropriated for modern violence; and to provide engagement with the academy and resources for the global church in these two areas

Goals

  • To help the Church grow in confidence about the goodness of God and the faithfulness of Scripture in testifying to God’s goodness
  • To identify and publish new ways of understanding biblical violence
  • To understand and develop responses for the ways in which the Bible is weaponised
  • To equip the Church to offer counter-violent, counter-extremist narratives, particularly in areas of conflict or tension
  • To hear voices of scholars from everywhere, including from the majority world
  • To facilitate genuinely global conversations and collaboration
  • To mentor, encourage and provide opportunities for emerging scholars

The Centre operates with two arms.

1. The Academic Arm of the Centre will focus upon performing and facilitating cutting-edge postgraduate research in the area, and offering postgraduate academic teaching.

2. The Applied Arm of the Centre will focus on delivering meaningful, accessible church resources in the UK and internationally.

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