Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence

18/09/2026

Our friends at the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice (BIPJ) and are hosting an important conference called "Church at the Crossroads" in Belfast, 13-14 November. You can find at more by visiting https://www.churchatthecrossroads.com/belfast

10/09/2026

Our Executive Director Helen Paynter was honoured to be invited to contribute to this meeting of the governing body of the Church in Wales today.

07/08/2026

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
One of our students is currently facing a difficult situation. We cannot share anything beyond that for their safety, but would you please pray for them. Pray for peace, strength, courage, and a miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

06/08/2026

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣? 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙖

In some Church calendars the Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on August 6, a day perhaps better remembered as Hiroshima Day, the anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb in 1945. Research Associate Peter King asks whether this coincidence might inform our preaching on the Transfiguration.

Read the new blog post: https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/2026/08/06/transfiguration-or-disfiguration-reflections-on-hiroshima/

29/06/2026

If you've appreciated the work we do around Christian Nationalism/ social cohesion/ countering polarisation, would you consider nominating us to receive a £5000 grant? It's a question of completing a simple form, and the more nominations we receive, the more likely we are to be successful.
We're not on the list but you can copy and paste our name (please use exactly this: centre for the study of bible and violence) into the form.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds.
Thank you!

I just nominated a charity to win £5,000..

26/06/2026

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙑𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙

Check out this insightful new blog post by Alexia Jons that will help us re-engage with the Bible as Scripture.

https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/2026/06/26/reading-scripture-after-violence-how-the-church-can-reimagine-biblical-interpretation-in-a-fragmented-world/

05/06/2026

𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝: 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

You can now pre-order your copy of Helen Paynter's new book which can help you and your church respond well to the Far Right.

Get your copy here: https://canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786227386/faithful-presence-in-a-fractured-world

04/06/2026

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 – 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

Research Associate John Heathershaw reflects on a recent conference discussion about how univocal accounts of the Creation-Fall narrative render Christ politically impotent and misapprehend change.

Read the new blog post here: https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/2026/06/04/how-reading-genesis-may-misdirect-christian-political-thought-and-how-to-read-it-better/

02/06/2026

"I become myself in making room for you"

In our latest blog post, Peter King introduces a new Study Guide on Global Citizenship. It might be just what you need to start that conversation you've been dreading.

Read the blog here:
https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/2026/06/02/i-become-myself-in-making-room-for-you/

28/05/2026

How supporting the CSBV helps church leaders address controversial political issues

Want to see more transformational stories like this? If you value thoughtful scholarship that engages real-world issues, please consider giving today.
Donate here: www.csbvbristol.org.uk/donate

https://youtu.be/LABl1eAO_dw?si=5C4_eC5ZlcHF6jh5

At the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence we explore some o...