Ronald J. Sider’s attempt to rationalize genocide in the Hebrew Scriptures (“Jesus and the Old Testament on Killing,” Nov. 25) is just that, rationalization. Theologian Marcus Borg writes: “The Jewish Bible is not God’s story of Israel but Israel’s story of Israel.” God is unchanging. God does not go from commanding killing in the Old Testament to exemplifying only love in the New Testament. God would never issue a command to “kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Sam. 15:3). If the Israelites got that message, they made a mistake. It did not come from God.
Abner J. Schlabach
South Royalton, Vt.
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