Is God a Moral Monster?

by Copan, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780801072758
• ISBN10: 0801072751
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-01
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group

Summary

Is the God of the Old Testament Nothing but a Bully, a Murderer, and an Oppressor? Many today-even within the church-seem to think so. How are Christians to respond to such accusations? And how are we to reconcile the seemingly disconnected natures of God portrayed in the testaments?

Author Biography

Paul Copan (PhD, Marquette University) is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. He is the author or editor of many books, including When God Goes to Starbucks.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 11
Neo-Atheism
Who Are the New Atheists?	p. 15
The New Atheists and the Old Testament God	p. 20
God: Gracious Master or Moral Monster?
Great Appetite for Praise and Sacrifices? Divine Arrogance or Humility?	p. 27
Monumental Rage and Kinglike Jealousy? Understanding the Covenant-Making God	p. 34
Child Abuse and Bullying? God's Ways and the Binding of Isaac	p. 42
Life in the Ancient Near East and in Israel
God's Timeless Wisdom? Incremental Steps for Hardened Hearts	p. 57
The Bible's Ubiquitous Weirdness? Kosher Foods, Kooky Laws? (I)	p. 70
The Bible's Ubiquitous Weirdness? Kosher Foods, Kooky Laws? (II)	p. 79
Barbarisms, Crude Laws, and Other Imaginary Crimes? Punishments and Other Harsh Realities in Perspective	p. 87
Misogynistic? Women in Israel	p. 101
Bride-Price? Polygamy, Concubinage, and Other Such Questions	p. 110
Warrant for Trafficking in Humans as Farm Equipment? (I): Slavery in Israel	p. 124
Warrant for Trafficking in Humans as Farm Equipment? (II): Challenging Texts on Slavery	p. 135
Warrant for Trafficking in Humans as Farm Equipment? (III): Slavery in the New Testament	p. 150
Indiscriminate Massacre and Ethnic Cleansing? The Killing of the Canaanites (I)	p. 158
Indiscriminate Massacre and Ethnic Cleansing? The Killing of the Canaanites (II)	p. 169
Indiscriminate Massacre and Ethnic Cleansing? The Killing of the Canaanites (III)	p. 186
The Root of All Evil? Does Religion Cause Violence?	p. 198
Sharpening the Moral Focus
Morality without a Lawgiving God? The Divine Foundation of Goodness	p. 209
We Have Moved beyond This God (Haven't We?): Jesus as the Fulfiller of the Old Testament	p. 216
Discussion/Study Questions	p. 223
Notes	p. 235
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