The Use of Violent Biblical Texts by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID23158132
AuthorsHelen Nambalirwa Nkabala (Makerere University, Uganda; School of Mission and Theology, Norway, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume34
Issue2
Pages91-100
Publication date2017-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTransformation An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-3788 • E-ISSN: 1759-8931
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0265378816680768
OpenAlexW2736948855
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited12

This article examines the ideologies employed to justify violence by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda, while basing themselves on biblical texts from the Old Testament. The article observes that the LRA have used the Bible to justify their violent actions which have left the social structures in Acholi-land broken down. It engages in two major questions: 1. How does the LRA interpret particular Old Testament texts? And, 2. Is there anything in the Old Testament texts that facilitates the LRA’s interpretations and applications? Having conducted an exegetical analysis of ‘frequently’-echoed texts, I conclude the article by observing that the LRA’s understanding and use of biblical texts do not exist in a vacuum and that the texts are open to violent interpretation, especially when they seem to sanction violent acts. I then close the article by questioning how biblical scholars and theologians can safeguard against the harmful application of biblical texts such as that employed by the LRA.

Ancient history · Biology · Resistance (ecology) · Theology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Ecology · History · Philosophy · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Religion, Society, and Development

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