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Preaching Peace Peaceably: A Profile of Eric Seibert

Eric Seibert has a passion for peace, whether he’s teaching courses on the Old Testament at Messiah College, or contributing to the wider ministries of the BIC Church. He’s well aware of the apparent incompatibility between his passion for peace and his primary field of study, the Old Testament.

Eric acknowledges that, “the portrayal of divine violence in the Old Testament [which] stands in direct tension with the nonviolence of Jesus” is a difficult issue. Titles of his recent speaking engagements – “Teaching Peace When God’s at War: The Problem of Divine Violence in the Old Testament” and “A God who Kills: Finding Reasons for Disturbing Divine Behavior in the Hebrew Bible” – reflect the tension.

However, as Eric explains, “there are effective ways of addressing this, but it requires an extended conversation about a variety of issues.” And that’s just what he sought to facilitate when he teamed up with pastors Woody Dalton and Bruxy Cavey this past year in taking the Impact Seminar “Preaching Peace in a World at War” to all six BIC conferences in North America.

The seminar, which was designed as a “conversation for pastors” as they lead their congregations in a world facing evolving challenges in understanding and responding to terrorism and war, was well received throughout the conferences. Now Eric plans to continue the dialogue through a book project on which he’s currently working, provisionally titled Disturbing Divine Behavior: Dealing with Problematic Portrayals of God in Old Testament Narratives.

In addition to his busy teaching, speaking, and research schedule, Eric is the driving force behind the BIC affinity group, the Peace and Justice Network. Eric explains that “PAJNET has been approved by the denomination [and] the next step is to constitute the steering committee.”

Eric also takes the time to “do peace” as a volunteer mediator with Neighborhood Dispute Settlement, Harrisburg, PA; and speaks to Messiah College student groups about conflict resolution. He is “glad for the opportunity to work at Messiah College, especially given its BIC heritage and ongoing covenant relationship with the denomination... I think the BIC denomination has many strengths and am very glad to be part of it.”

In these, and numerous other ways, Eric has shown himself to be a person who can talk about peace “without starting a war.”

Eric and his wife Elisa (an Adjunct Instructor in Pastoral Counseling at Messiah College and Assistant Professor/Counselor at Shippensburg University's Counseling Center) are members of the Grantham Brethren in Christ Church and are expecting their first child at the end of January.

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