The Old Testament and the Call to Non-Violence

In the Sermon on the Mount (New Testament), Jesus calls his disciples to a life of non-violence and embodies the principles of non-violence in his own life. But many Christians see Jesus’ call to non-violence at odds with much of the Old Testament, which seems to allow, and even promote war and coercive action. In this session Dr. Jerome Creach, Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament at PTS, will explore this problem. He will propose that the Old Testament, rightly interpreted, actually promotes the same values of non-coercive action, of “turning the other cheek,” as the New Testament. Dr. Creach is the author of Violence in Scripture.