Is God a God of Peace or a God of War? [Questions That Haunt]

This week’s Questions That Haunt Christianity continues a recent theme in the series about the very nature of God. It’s from Shira, who asks,

My question is this: How do Christian theologians deal with the fact that God is portrayed sometimes as a “man of war” who approves genocide and taking of women as war prizes, among other atrocities and sometimes as the “righteous judge” standing up for widows, orphans, and the strangers among us? I consider this a vital question because it seems to me that many people gravitate to one or the other of these ideas of God, and the actions in the world of these different groups are very distinct! I don’t know if you require a background, but I’m a Buddhist of Jewish background.

Please respond to Shira in the comment section below, and I’ll respond on Friday.