God Behaving Badly

Author: David T. Lamb
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 1514003503
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 157

Book Description
God has a bad reputation. Many think of God as wrathful and angry, smiting people for no apparent reason. But the story is more complicated than that. Without minimizing the sometimes harsh realities of the biblical record, David Lamb unpacks the complexity of the Old Testament and assembles an overall picture that gives coherence to our understanding of God in both Old and New Testaments.

Is God a Moral Monster?

Author: Paul Copan
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441214542
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
A recent string of popular-level books written by the New Atheists have leveled the accusation that the God of the Old Testament is nothing but a bully, a murderer, and a cosmic child abuser. This viewpoint is even making inroads into the church. How are Christians to respond to such accusations? And how are we to reconcile the seemingly disconnected natures of God portrayed in the two testaments? In this timely and readable book, apologist Paul Copan takes on some of the most vexing accusations of our time, including: God is arrogant and jealous God punishes people too harshly God is guilty of ethnic cleansing God oppresses women God endorses slavery Christianity causes violence and more Copan not only answers God's critics, he also shows how to read both the Old and New Testaments faithfully, seeing an unchanging, righteous, and loving God in both.

Prostitutes and Polygamists

Author: David T. Lamb
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310518482
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Jacob and Solomon were polygamists. Tamar and Rahab were prostitutes. What are polygamists and prostitutes doing on the pages of Holy Scripture? And God told the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute. What about Cain—did he really marry his sister? Abraham did, and he was also a polygamist. Lot offered his daughters up for rape, David committed adultery (or rape?) and the Bible calls both men righteous. Love, Old Testament style, was bizarre. As readers of the Old Testament encounter these weird, confusing, and horrific “love” stories they ask, “What’s up with sex in the Old Testament?” The church often ignores the R-rated bits of the Bible, so it’s hard for people to find answers to their disturbing questions about sex in Scripture, which can lead people to give up on God and God’s word. However, these stories were included in the Bible for a reason, to reveal an even more shocking “love” story. When humans behave badly, God behaves graciously. God not only forgives people with sexual baggage, but also redeems their lives and includes them in his mission. God’s word records their story to benefit us. Just as sex was not often ideal in the Old Testament, it’s often not ideal today. Instead of ignoring these stories, Prostitutes and Polygamists engages, discusses, and learns from them.

Jesus Behaving Badly

Author: Mark L. Strauss
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830824669
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
The Jesus everybody likes, says Mark Strauss, is not the Jesus found in the Gospels. He preached about hell far more than the apostle Paul. He told his followers to hate their families. Not one of his twelve apostles was a woman. When we unpack these puzzling paradoxes and more, we gain greater insight into Jesus' countercultural message and mission.

Righteous Jehu and His Evil Heirs

Author: David T. Lamb
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199231478
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
David T. Lamb examines not only the dynasty of Jehu within the narrative of 2 Kings, but also the broader context of the dynasties of Israel and Judah in the books of Kings and Samuel. Lamb discusses religious aspects of kingship (such as anointing, divine election, and prayer) in both the Old Testament and in the literature of the ancient Near East. He concludes that the Deuteronomistic editor, because of a deep concern that leaders be divinely chosen and obedient to Yahweh, soughtto subvert the monarchical status quo by shaping the Jehuite narrative to emphasize that dynastic succession disastrously fails to produce righteous leaders.

The Morality of God in the Old Testament

Author: Gregory K. Beale
Publisher: P & R Publishing
ISBN: 9781596388529
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description

The God of the Old Testament

Author: R. W. L. Moberly
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493428381
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Book Description
Walter Moberly is a top Old Testament theologian known for his creative, accessible, and provocative writing. His Old Testament Theology has been well received. This book, written in a similar vein, combines biblical criticism with constructive theology and engages both Jewish and Christian interpretations. Moberly offers robust readings of eight pivotal Old Testament passages that unpack the nature of God in Christian Scripture, demonstrating a Christian approach to reading the Old Testament that holds together the priorities of both scholarship and faith.

Holy War in the Bible

Author: Heath A. Thomas
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083083995X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
The first of its kind, this collection offers a constructive response to the question of holy war and Christian morality from an interdisciplinary perspective. By combining biblical, ethical, philosophical and theological insights, the contributors offer a composite image of divine redemption that promises to take the discussion to another level.

Exploring the Old Testament

Author: Gordon J. Wenham
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830870083
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
Up to date, reliable, balanced and clearly organized, Gordon Wenham's introductory textbook makes scholarship on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers accessible to contemporary students and readers.

Ezekiel, Daniel

Author: Carl L. Beckwith
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830829628
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Book Description
Discover firsthand the Reformers' innovative readings of the Old Testament prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. Familiar passages like Ezekiel's vision of the wheels or Daniel's four beasts are revitalized as they take the stage at this pivotal moment in history.