The biblical testimony witnesses both to the violence of humankind and the graciousness of God. From the murder of Abel to the killing fields of Kosovo, humankind has struggled in prayer and politics with the single most critical issue in history.
Violence is a principal concern of biblical writers and the obsession of modern media.
One of the most penetrating analyses of human culture and its relationship to religious history and religious texts has been given to us by Ren Girard. His brilliant exploration of the dynamics of desire and the victimage mechanism has opened Scripture anew to those who seek to understand the God of peace and the mysterious origins of human violence. What is at stake in this study of Scripture is not only our understanding of God and the Word of God but the quality of our efforts to work for justice and peace in human history. Implicit in these efforts is the imperative to examine particular religious traditions and how the texts of these traditions have been historically interpreted, not only by believers but by those who dismiss all religious texts as mythological. The history of anti-semitism and racial persecution testifies to the often tragic blindness of believers to the message of their own religious heritage.