It’s time for one of those Daily Mail stories about how a snowflake generation need trigger warnings. This time, they have Sheffield University’s English Literature department in their sights.
Apparently, students are warned about graphic content, violence and sexual violence in Scripture. Christian Concern have leapt in to complain and defend the Bible against such prejudice.
Yet, this strikes me as being a missed opportunity. The truth is that the Bible does contain much violence. Early on, a brother murders his sibling, then there are many accounts of violence leading to Jesus’ death on the Cross which Isaiah describes in graphic terms of piercing and crushing.
And yes, the sexual violence is there, with the rape of Jacob’s daughter and of Tamar by her brother, Amnon or with David’s taking of Bathsheba. There’s the plot by the Sodomites to gangrape the angels and the horrific incident at the end of Judges. Read too the prophetic literature, especially Ezekiel that uses the imagery of sexual violence to show the depravity of idolatry.
The Bible does not mince its words when showing the horror of sin. Nor does it shy away from showing the full cost of salvation.
A new generation are coming fresh to the Bible, a book that hasn’t been sanitized and turned into safe children’s stories for them. This is an opportunity not a threat.
Faithroots 