Duhsciple,I’d have to say that your initial question of, ‘is God violent’, a leading question which basically presupposes that God must be one or the other of your descriptions. When He is really neither. McLaren has a tendency to impose human standards on God, as do we all, all too often. God, destroying a nation, or a tribe of people, cannot be equated in the same measure we’d use if we decided to do that same act. We have neither the wisdom, the far seeing omnipotence, or the right…while God on the other hand, does. We see death as a horrible end, and in truth, our deaths might be violent or painful. But God does not see it this way. Between the freedom God has given this world to progress, within the laws of the universe that He enacted for them to act within; and the times He chooses to interveen; it is often impossible for us to discern between the life He ordained simply moving through its natural progression, and His influence. This was intentional on His part. I don’t think that He intended for us to know the manner, means, when, how, or intracacies, of His influence or not. To do so would render faith imasculated. Scripture tells us that God sees it as a beautiful thing - the death of His faithful ones. Why? Because it removes from them the wrappings of this corrupt, corporeal form. I would say that while He probably hates the painful and horrible deaths we may suffer, or the struggles we face in life…his overarching concern is less about our pain here, than our ultimate destination…being with Him. If I were to give a tiny and…dang it all, pitiful summation of McLaren and/or your questions, (not making light of them at all!), it would be to say that scripture is a self help book. One designed to get us to do things that God desires…not to understand the how, why, what for’s, of who and what He is doing. We have far too much on our plates simply feeding the hungry, loving our enemies, changing our hearts, living for God and not ourselves, treating others as better than ourselves, and dozens and dozens of other life changes that require us to put ourselves last….than to try and get a good handle on God. I must laugh at myself in this…..Although I tried to posit a tiny perspective on this, I’ve realized here at the last, that we do need to understand God’s motives, and to get a handle on who He is, but a search of this kind cannot be done from a book like McLaren’s, or really any kind of book like it….be it scholarly written or not. Things like that/this, can only open our minds to possibilities; to new questions, to new understandings…but in the end….our understanding and growth will only come from a heart felt study of the bible with the ‘from the bottom of your heart’ intention that you want only what God wants. I truely believe that this is the ONLY way God will bless your efforts!I’m sorry that I couldn’t really answer the things you asked…perhaps Tim is more eloquent and knowledgeable than I. He is certianly more well read.