"Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."
That's the request Philip makes to Jesus in John 14:8. It's a request many of us are still making today when confronted with the violence that’s attributed to or commanded by God the Father in Scripture.
It's like Jesus left Philip's request unanswered. But he didn't.
"Anyone who has seen me," Jesus said, "has seen the Father" (John 14:9 NIV).
Later, both Paul and the author of Hebrews echo this in their own ways. Jesus is "the visible image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15 NLT) and "the exact representation of [God's] nature" (Heb 1:3 NASB).
But the Bible also says...
Yes, there's a lot of violence that contradicts the New Testament teaching about the Father of Jesus, but we always forget something whenever we point this out. We forget that Jesus, Paul, and the author of Hebrews also treasured the stories of the Old Testament.
And still they taught that God is like Jesus in every way. He loves like Jesus. He freely forgives like Jesus. He is as nonviolent as Jesus.
How can we learn to read the Bible like that?
About the Site
A Nonviolent God publishes books and articles that give you the imagination and language to migrate from a violent view of God to a nonviolent one.
This migration involves reorienting how we read the Bible, reframing how we share the good news of Jesus, and reflecting upon how nonviolent beliefs can impact the biggest issues we face in our world today.
Our content is:
- biblically-based
- easy to read and jargon-free
- formatted for online reading
- mobile and browser friendly
- typically 7 to 10 minutes long
- emailed to Patrons every other Wednesday
- written by Christian author Steve Hall
- and usually published as a book later.
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About Steve Hall
When I began rejecting a violent view of God in my early twenties, I didn't know whether there was a legitimate Christian alternative to turn to. My church community seemed content with the modern evangelical portrayal of God, while I became unable to accept that Jesus’ Father would use violence to save or punish. If it hadn’t been for the gospel stories of Jesus and my repeated Holy Spirit experiences of Father’s love, I probably wouldn't have remained a Christian.
I remember thinking after completing a post-graduate BA in Theology in 2006 that I was more confident than ever about what I didn’t believe, but still very unsure what I did. A chance conversation a year later led to a book recommendation that changed this. Suddenly, I was reading a recently published compilation of theological essays by authors who were validating my own misgivings about the violence of Scripture. More importantly, they were proposing viable nonviolent alternatives.
By 2013, I felt confident enough to tackle writing a book. Let me tell you there’s nothing like writing a book to shatter the illusion of how far you’ve travelled. It took me four years to write Lament Forgive. I had to re-learn how to read the Bible so that its stories of violence could point towards a God that forgives exactly like the nonviolent Jesus does.
I launched A Nonviolent God in January 2025 to help others discover a God who is as nonviolent as Jesus. Since then, I have been writing books by emailing them chapter-by-chapter to Chapter Patrons. I started with Lamentations, before moving on to Creation (Genesis 1 & 2) and Job (soon to be published). Currently, I am writing one chapter every two weeks about the book of Revelation.
Starting in September 2026, I will be applying what I've learnt about God being as nonviolent as Jesus to write a book on homosexuality and the Bible. Book Patrons gain exclusive behind-the-scenes Journal access to my creative process as I research, draft, edit, and publish this book. I would love for you to join me.
Whether you're undergoing the same journey of migration that I am, or exploring the terrain for the first time, I’m glad you’re here.
Steve Hall
August 2026