Undoing Conquest: Ancient Israel, the Bible, and the Future of Christianity

Archeologists in the last century unearthed new evidence of the origins of the Hebrew people that reshapes understandings of Israelite history and the Bible. Undoing Conquest recovers the Highland Settlements material evidence as a history that challenges the theological imagination of conquest that is still present in Christianity today. Yet this new history remains largely untold outside of specialized archeological and biblical studies contexts. Undoing Conquest analyzes this evidence from a feminist perspective in dialogue with the present moment and uncovers its importance for shaping Christian theology and church practice today. The book examines how the biblical conquest narratives shaped Christian ideology, which justified settler-colonialism and genocide around the globe like the European conquest of the Americas. It proposes ways to invite the Highland Settlements story into the life of the church by creating a new liturgical season called the Season of Origins, focused on repairing the harms of the past and creating a more just future.