HELEN PAYNTER, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. Biblical Theology for Life Series. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Academic, 2023. Pp. 348. $38.99 US.
One year when I was in high school, my dad brought a cupcake with a single candle to school for my birthday. When he lit the candle, it started playing Happy Birthday. Without thinking, I blurted out, “Wow, how does that work?” True to form, my dad, the ever-curious science teacher, launched into an explanation full of technical details I neither understood nor really wanted to understand. Eventually, I noticed a small wire that got hot from the flame and triggered the music. That was all I needed to know.
Helen Paynter writes for people who think like my dad—not about science, but about how the Bible addresses peace and violence. Blessed Are the Peacemakers offers a far more comprehensive exploration of Scripture related to violence and peacemaking than I’ve previously encountered. Paynter doesn’t stick to a single theme; instead, she works through the biblical canon itself. The result feels expansive and at times, intense. Like a well-laid-out chemistry experiment, the data keeps coming, but it’s clearly and thoughtfully explained.
Paynter defines violence as “the use of force or coercion in a way that causes harm to another” (27). This broad definition allows her to examine a wide array of biblical texts. While she includes the expected passages dealing with physical violence, what stands out, especially for readers in a US context, is how she cares also for scriptures that address poverty and systemic or structural violence. The study of resistance in Chapter 7 has specific relevance today. Using figures like Elijah, Elisha, Esther, Ehud, and Jael, Paynter shows how resistance to systemic violence is deeply woven into the biblical narrative.
Paynter’s methods also allow her to showcase that redemptive themes in Scripture do not begin with Jesus. In Chapter 8, she explores Old Testament atonement processes that nonviolently restore relationships. One particularly intriguing thread is the theme of “victory in weakness,” trusting in God rather than worldly power (156). Because she lays this foundation so well, her later discussion of atonement theories connected to the cross feels much more grounded.
In her survey of the early church, Paynter honestly concludes that their practice was mixed; some lived out “the nonviolent ethic of Jesus,” while others reflected the morally ambiguous world in which they lived. This honesty is refreshing and shows how the Bible doesn’t always offer one simple answer of how to live.
Just as my dad once created a chemistry lab that ended in ice cream to show real-life chemistry applications, Paynter shifts from exploring what Scripture says to articulating how we can use it to move forward. She writes:
Our task, then, is not to carve out from Scripture a ‘truth’ about peace and violence and then stand still, holding it in our hands like a precious thing. Our task is to journey forward, battling through the jungle of confusion, pain, despair, and mortal complexity that our world presents, setting off in the direction we have been pointed toward and moving onward toward the destination we have glimpsed (232).
Using a framework of holiness, peace, and justice, Paynter outlines a kind of “experiment” for how to make decisions about violence in today’s world. As someone who has recently returned to regular preaching, I found her section, Reflecting on Relevance, to be the lab report I didn’t know I needed. It offers templates for how congregations might build dialogue and action around just peacemaking.
From new insights into biblical hospitality even for Anabaptists, (Chapter 13), to real-world case studies on capital punishment and racism (Chapter 15), Paynter invites readers to practice holding holiness, peace, and justice in tension, using them as tools for discernment. Since the Brethren in Christ denomination is rooted in both the Holiness and Anabaptist movements, this book can serve as a bridge from our historic roots to our current context.
Like a good teacher, Paynter presents the data, shares thoughtful interpretation, and gives the church tools to continue the work to figure out how violence might be transformed today. She knows that the work of peacemaking is not an exact science. Blessed Are the Peacemakers is not an instruction manual on how to be peaceful. Instead, it offers a fuller picture of Scripture and church history so the Church can be equipped to work toward God’s wholeness and peace.