The Big Questions: 03 A God of War?

In Part 3 of our series The Big Questions, David Armstrong helps us explore the tension between violent depictions of God in Scripture and the radical peace of Jesus. While wars have been justified in God’s name throughout history—including today in Ukraine and Gaza—Jesus reveals a different path: love for enemies, rejection of violence and vengeance, and the peaceable Kingdom (Matthew 5:38-48, Revelation 5:5-6).

In fact, Jesus teaches his disciples that we should understand God as a divine parent, and throughout Scripture, maternal imagery portrays God as a mother—nurturing, caring, and protecting (Matthew 23:37, Isaiah 49:15). Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870 called women to oppose war and work for reconciliation—advocacy that flows from the transformative vision of what God is like: not a vengeful warrior, but a protective mother who seeks peace and wholeness for all.

This podcast recording begins with a 7min reflection and prayer on Mothering Sunday by Andrew Farmer & Libby Ryans. Andrew performs a reading of his poem ‘Knitting & Kicking’ — a studio recording is available on his album Amelanchier at https://frmr.bandcamp.com/album/amelanchier