FAQ

According to Jesus (see John 14:8), Paul (see Col. 1:15), and the author of Hebrews (see Heb. 1:3), God is exactly like his son. I believe this means that God is as enemy-forgiving, neighbour-loving, self-sacrificing, nonviolent, and Christlike as Jesus.

I use the phrase "a nonviolent God" to highlight how Jesus is the ultimate revelation of a God who never wields violence to save or punish. Ever.

No, I'm not. The last thing I want to do is dismiss or ignore the violence the Bible bears witness to. There's a reason why the violence is there and why it's repeatedly attributed to God. However, I don't believe it's because God himself is violent.

My books and articles seek to address how all Scripture, including the violent parts, point to the nonviolent Jesus (see Luke 24:27) and, despite appearances, reveal God to be as nonviolent as his son.

I can say God is nonviolent because the New Testament teaches us that God is one hundred percent like Jesus (see Col. 1:15 and Heb. 1:3). And both Paul and the author of Hebrews declared this despite being Jews who had read, studied, and memorised the Old Testament.

Therefore, I think a better question to ask is: how did their reading of the Old Testament reveal a nonviolent God when ours doesn't? I hope you join me in finding out.

If you're looking for a confession of my faith, please check out the Nicene Creed. You can read a copy of it on Britannica or Wikipedia.

There are two reasons for this.

1. It's good to read multiple translations because it helps us see things we may have missed from an over familiarity with a single translation.
2. Every Bible translation has a fair-use policy. To honour this, I use multiple translations.

Yes, you can! The first chapters of both Creation and A Nonviolent God and Lamentations and A Nonviolent God can both be read in their entirety without a subscription.

Over 20 other articles or chapters can be read with just a free subscription.

Here are the direct links to the two chapters I mentioned:
Seven Reasons Genesis 1 is Not a Material Story (Creation)
The harmful way we read the Bible (Lamentations)

Newsletter Subscriber is the name of the free tier, and, as the name suggests, you receive my Newsletter via email. But that's not all. You also gain full access to over 20 articles across the site.

In my Monthly Newsletter, I share something about what I'm writing or reflecting upon for A Nonviolent God that is unlikely to find its way into one of my books or articles. You will also get to hear my book news before anyone else as well as what I'm working on in the coming month. You can take a sneak peek at one of these newsletters here: Jesus never holds a sword. I send my newsletter out on the last Sunday of every month.

In addition, you can access over 20 free-to-read articles or chapters across the site, including every post on the Articles page, plus the first 4 chapters of Creation and A Nonviolent God and the first 3 chapters of Lamentations and A Nonviolent God.

Put simply, A Nonviolent God is only viable long-term with financial support from you, my readers. This is because publishing an article or chapter once a fortnight that is unique, well-researched, and well-written is a part-time job in and of itself. With your monthly or annual support I can cover the cost of running the website and publishing books, pay for theological books I need for research, plus give myself a basic wage so I can continue to write great books and articles instead of working more hours in my other job.

In March 2026, I had to more than double the hours I work in my other job to help make ends meet. This had the knock-on effect of reducing my writing speed from one new chapter or article a week to one every fortnight. With more Patrons, maybe I'll be able to return to my previous writing schedule.

If you enjoy my work, want to make the idea of a nonviolent God more widely known, and want some cool rewards, please consider becoming a Patron.

A Chapter Patron is so called because they receive a new chapter every other Wednesday for the latest A Nonviolent God Collection book being written. These are books with '... and A Nonviolent God' in the title.

I've written in this way:
Lamentations and A Nonviolent God
Creation and A Nonviolent God
Job and A Nonviolent God (due to be published in Q3 2026)

Since March 2026 I've been emailing out new chapters of Revelation and A Nonviolent God as I complete them. I'm expecting this book to take me until Easter 2027 to finish writing chapter-by-chapter. Beyond that it will be... that would be telling, but I've got a few ideas.

Chapter Patron rewards include the option of having your name included on the dedication page and receiving a free ebook copy of A Nonviolent God Collection books from Revelation onwards.

A Book Patron is so called because they are supporting me to write a standalone book—think Lament Forgive rather than Creation and A Nonviolent God. The topic of my first standalone book written in this way will be on the topic of homosexuality and the Bible.

As a gift for their patronage, Book Patrons get behind-the-scenes access to the creative process from draft to publication, read excerpts from early drafts, and get to read previews ahead of publication. They will also have the option of having their name on the dedication page of the book, and receive an ebook copy plus (if they have a mainland UK postal address) a signed paperback copy of the book.

I will be starting this book project in late September 2026, and I'm anticipating it taking me between 12 and 24 months to publish.

The main differences between the two Patron tiers is what book they are primarily supporting and whether they get to read each chapter as it's written.

Chapter Patrons are primarily supporting the chapter-by-chapter writing of the current book in the A Nonviolent God Collection, of which there's been Lamentations, Creation, and Job (in September 2026) published so far. Every chapter of the next book, Revelation and A Nonviolent God, is being emailed out to all Patrons every other Wednesday, enabling them to read it in advance.

Book Patrons are primarily supporting the writing of standalone books, the first of which is on homosexuality and the Bible. They gain regular behind-the-scenes peeks into the creative process of writing and publishing this book, however, they do not receive new chapters from this book as I write them, just the occasional excerpt or pre-publication preview. Of course, Book Patrons also gain all the benefits from the Chapter Patron tier, so they get the best of both books being written.

No. Whatever you pay for your subscription today, will be what you pay for it for life or until you unsubscribe or change your subscription tier.

Thanks for asking. You can buy my books, post a book review on Amazon or Apple Books, share free-to-read articles you've found helpful on social media, make a donation, or gift a subscription to someone you think would appreciate my work.

If you want to gift some money to the work of A Nonviolent God instead of subscribing, or in addition to subscribing, click make a donation or click on the donate link in the footer of the site.

If you know someone who would enjoy having full access to my work on A Nonviolent God, you can gift them a 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year subscription to one of my Patron tiers.

At checkout, you can add a personal message and pick the day the gift arrives. It will then be automatically delivered by email on the date you selected. The subscription will not start until the gift is redeemed, so a gift redeemed on Christmas morning runs all the way to next Christmas.

Click on the Subscribe button at the top of the page and select Gift a Subscription below the tier information. You can also find a link in the footer of every page and through your Account page.

Yes there will be. Each fortnight, I write a first draft of the next chapter, before taking the time to polish it up by redrafting or expanding the content where necessary. The chapter that Patrons receive by email is therefore the equivalent of an edited second draft.

Before publishing each chapter within the finished book, it'll undergo at least one more round of editing. Sometimes this will produce only minor changes to the grammar or flow of the writing. At other times, sections will deleted or new sections written to improve how each chapter fits into the context of the whole book. Occasionally, if I'm particularly unhappy with a chapter or a section of a chapter, I may redraft it from scratch to help me get my point across better.

After publication, I publish each chapter as a separate article on A Nonviolent God for Patrons to access, as well as making the opening chapters of the book free-to-read. These will be the updated published versions and will exactly match what you find in the paperback or ebook, except that they will contain more sub-headings to make it easier to read online.

Patrons can have their name (or a display name of their choosing) included on the dedication pages of the books they are supporting being written. This is dependent upon their subscription tier, and will require an active subscription in both the month of official publication and the month prior to that.

Patrons are under no obligation to accept this reward if they don't want to.

Keep an eye on the Monthly Newsletter nearer publication dates for further details on how to choose an alternative name or opt-out.

Ebook rewards will be emailed up to a month in advance of publication to eligible Patrons as a DRM-free .ePub ebook.

Patrons will require an active subscription in the month prior to the official publication date to be eligible for this reward.

At this time, Book Patrons must have a mainland UK postal address to receive a signed paperback copy of standalone books. This is because of the cost of postage. I apologise if you miss out because you live outside the UK.

I will ask eligible Patrons for their address in the month leading up to publication. I will then send out a signed copy within 4 weeks of publication to those living in mainland UK.

Patrons will require an active subscription in the month of publication and in the month prior to the official publication date to be eligible for this reward.

I am currently writing Revelation and A Nonviolent God chapter-by-chapter. I anticipate finishing it in the first quarter of 2027 and (hopefully) publishing it in book format by June 2027.

Every other Wednesday, I send a new chapter of this book to all of my Patrons. For the price of just over a coffee a month, please consider subscribing to my Chapter Patron tier to receive these new chapters too.

After I finish writing Revelation and A Nonviolent God, hopefully in the first quarter of 2027, I have a few ideas about what I want to write next, but I'll be letting my subscribers know that first in my Monthly Newsletter before I let it be known here.

However, what I can divulge is that it will be based on a book of the Bible like Lamentations, Job, and Revelation were. I also anticipate writing some new content for my Articles page in-between Revelation and whatever book comes next to give me some extra time to research it.

In late September 2026, I will be starting to research, plan, and begin writing a book on homosexuality and the Bible. Become a Book Patron to gain access to my behind-the-scenes journal as I write and publish this book. I'm anticipating this taking 12 to 24 months to write.

If money wasn't an issue, my four big dreams for A Nonviolent God are:
(1) Adding more authors (and therefore new perspectives) to A Nonviolent God by being in a position to pay those authors for their work.
(2) Offer live events to Patrons.
(3) Create a "video course" of some kind to enable you to introduce people in your church communities to a God who is as nonviolent as Jesus.
(4) Create an online community for Patrons to connect with one another.

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All you need to sign in is the email address you signed up with and access to your email inbox. You'll receive an email with a magic link and a one-time code—choose whichever of these two options is the most convenient to login.

I'm unable to setup a password system on A Nonviolent God due to the website building app I use.

1. Click on the "Sign In" link found underneath the tagline on the home page or within the secondary navigation in the footer of every page or on the Subscribe page.
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Once you're signed in, you can access your account by clicking on the "My account" button. This is found at the top of the page in the same place you would normally click on the "Subscribe" button.

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The website building app I use only supports charging for subscriptions in a single currency. I chose £ Pound Sterling (GBP) because I'm based in the UK.

Many banks will handle currency conversion when using their debit and credit cards, sometimes even with a zero conversion fee. Please check with your bank.

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The renewal date of your subscription is stated at the top of your account page or in the footer of all our email newsletters.

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On your account page, click the pink "Change" link to change, upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription.

Yes, of course you can. On your account page, click the pink "Change" link to change your subscription plan from monthly payments to an annual payment, or vice versa.

Any unused time on your previous plan will be credited to your account, and the charge for your new plan will be prorated.

Any unused time on your previous plan will be credited to your account, and the charge for your new plan will be prorated.

I'm sorry, I do not offer refunds. All subscription payments are final and refunds will not be provided for any reason. Please make sure you are happy with what's on offer before subscribing.

On your account page, you will see your name and email address. To the right of that is a pink "Edit" link. Click "Edit" to change your email address. Click the pink "Save" button once you're done.

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Check spam & promotions folders
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If you've done all this and you're still having trouble, let me know. You can reach me via the support email on your account page.

No, I think looking over your shoulder to see if you read my emails is rude. It's entirely up to you whether you decide to open my emails or click on any links within them. That information is not recorded.

I send out three different newsletters.

1. The "New Chapters" newsletter delivers each new chapter or article from your subscription tier direct to your inbox on every other Wednesday morning at 5am, except during August and on the last Wednesday of December.
2. In my "Monthly Newsletter," I share personal anecdotes, reflections, and news around the topic of a nonviolent God. It's delivered to your inbox on the last Sunday of every month at 8pm.
3. In the "Behind-the-scenes Journal," I periodically email Book Patrons with insights into the creative process of writing a book. The timing of these emails vary, but I try and send at least four journal entries a month.

Yes, you are automatically subscribed to all three of my email newsletters when you become a member of A Nonviolent God. The newsletters you receive will be dependent upon your subscription tier, so, even though you're subscribed to all three, you may only receive one or two.

You can unsubscribe from these newsletters at anytime.

If you're a Newsletter Subscriber, you will receive one email from me a month, with some occasional additional emails each year if I choose to publish any free-to-read articles. I'll announce these in advance in my Monthly Newsletter so you know to expect them.

Chapter Patrons will receive one email every fortnight, plus the Monthly Newsletter once a month.

Book Patrons will receive on average, seven to eight emails from me a month. These include the Monthly Newsletter (x1), New Chapters (x2-3, depending on the number of Wednesdays in the month), plus Behind-the-scenes Journal entries (at least x4).

I send the "New Articles" newsletter out every Wednesday at 5am.

I send the "Monthly Newsletter" out on the last Sunday of every month at 8pm.

I send the "Behind-the-scenes Journal" at least four times a month when I have something to share. There's no pre-determined posting schedule for these yet.

On your account page, click the pink "Manage" link to update your email preferences. Toggle on or off the email newsletters you want to receive.

There is an "unsubscribe" link at the foot of every email I send. Clicking on this will enable you to unsubscribe from that particular newsletter.

Alternatively, you can set your email preferences within your account by clicking on the pink "Manage" link. This will enable you to unsubscribe or resubscribe to any of the email newsletters.

Please note that you may be subscribed to one, two, or three different newsletters depending upon your tier. If you don't want to receive any of them, you'll need to unsubscribe from all of them in this way.

No, your member plan is separate from your email preferences. You can unsubscribe or subscribe to the email newsletters at any time without it affecting your membership.

No, you'll still receive emails containing the secure "Sign in" link, even though you'll no longer be receiving some or all of the newsletters.

Simply click on the "Contact support" button in the bottom right of your account page to send us an email to me.

I aim to reply to all emails as soon as possible within 72 hours or three working days. Emails sent over the weekend may take me slightly longer to respond to. I'll let you know in advance through the "Monthly Newsletter" when I'm going on holiday, as email response times are likely to lengthen at those times.

ANE = ancient Near East/Eastern
BCE = Before Common Era
CE = Common Era
c. = circa (approximately)
ch. = chapter
chs. = chapters
ed. = edited by
e.g., = exempli gratia (for example)
i.e., = id est (that is)
NT = New Testament
OT = Old Testament
p. = page
pp. = pages
v. = verse
vv. = verses

The Bible is made up of 66 smaller books. These are then sub-divided into chapters and then again into verses. This makes it easier to find the exact section you're looking for.

When we reference Bible books we refer to the book first, then the chapter, then the verse (differentiated from the chapter with a colon). Below are some examples of the kind of references you'll find on A Nonviolent God and how to decipher them.

Lam. 1:9 = The book of Lamentations, chapter 1, verse 9

Lam. 1:9c = Lamentations chapter 1, verse 9, line 3 (helpful when referencing poetry)

Lam. 1:9-11 = Lamentations chapter 1, verses 9 to 11

Lam. 1:9 & 11; 2:20 = Lamentations chapter 1, verses 9 and 11, and Lamentations chapter 2, verse 20.

Lam. 1-3 = Lamentations chapters 1 to 3

Lam. 1:9-2:11 = Lamentations chapter 1 verse 9 to chapter 2 verse 11

A Nonviolent God has so far used the following twelve translations or paraphrases.

AMPC = Amplified Bible
CSB = Christian Standard Bible
ESV = English Standard Version
MSG = The Message
NASB = New American Standard Bible
NET = The NET Bible
NIV = New International Version
NKJV = New King James Version
NLT = New Living Translation
NRSV = New Revised Standard Version
TPT = The Passion Translation
VOICE = The Voice Bible

View the Permissions page for copyright information regarding the Bible translations we use.

Gen. = Genesis
Ex. = Exodus
Lev. = Leviticus
Num. = Numbers
Deut. = Deuteronomy
Josh. = Joshua
Jdg. = Judges
Ruth = Ruth
1 Sam. / 2 Sam. = 1 or 2 Samuel
1 Kgs. / 2 Kgs. = 1 or 2 Kings
1 Chr. / 2 Chr. = 1 or 2 Chronicles
Ezra = Ezra
Neh. = Nehemiah
Est. = Esther
Job = Job
Ps. / Pss. = Psalm / Psalms
Prov. = Proverb
Eccl. = Ecclesiastes
SoS. = Song of Songs
Isa. = Isaiah
Jer. = Jeremiah
Lam. = Lamentations
Eze. = Ezekiel
Dan. = Daniel
Hosea = Hosea
Joel = Joel
Amos = Amos
Oba. = Obadiah
Jonah = Jonah
Micah = Micah
Nahum = Nahum
Hab. = Habakkuk
Zeph. = Zephaniah
Hag. = Haggai
Zech. = Zechariah
Mal. = Malachi

Matt. = Matthew
Mark = Mark
Luke = Luke
John = John
Acts = Acts
Rom. = Romans
1 Cor. / 2 Cor. = 1 or 2 Corinthians
Gal. = Galatians
Eph. = Ephesians
Phil. = Phillipians
Col. = Colosians
1 Thess. / 2 Thess. = 1 or 2 Thessalonians
1 Tim. / 2 Tim. = 1 or 2 Timothy
Titus = Titus
Phlm. = Philemon
Heb. = Hebrews
James = James
1 Ptr. / 2 Ptr. = 1 or 2 Peter
1 John / 2 John / 3 John = 1 or 2 or 3 John
Jude = Jude
Rev. = Revelation

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