Abstract
The Book of Joshua is difficult to read in the post-Trump era. Its xenophobic rhetoric feeds brilliantly into the chant “Build the wall! Build the wall!” The book’s not-just-dominant theology but also its domineering ideology valorize genocide and justify brutal colonization legitimized by a theologically based hierarchy of us-versus-them. The God of Joshua spews forth hate speech, incites ethnic-based violence, and amply rewards the murderers for their obedience.¹ This is the God of Donald Trump.
Many scholars have tried to redeem this God. To be honest, I have 2 tried to save this God, blaming the portrait on misguided authors