PAGES IN THIS ENTRY:
- Is God a Moral Monster?
- Understanding the Covenant-Making God
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Is the God of the Old Testament nothing but a bully, a murderer, and an oppressor?
Noted atheist Richard Dawkins thinks so. In his book The God Delusion he claims
“The God of the OT is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
– Source: Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Chapter 2, opening paragraph
Many people, even within the church, seem to agree.
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 his book, Is God A Moral Monster? — subtitled, “Making Sense of the Old Testament God” — Christian apologist Paul copan takes on some of the most vexing accusations of our time, including:
- God is arrogant and unjust
- God punishes people too harshly
- God is guilty of ethnic cleansing
- God oppresses women
- God endorese slavery
- Christianity causes violence
As the book jacket says, Copan not only answers the critics; he also shows how to read both the Old and the New Testaments faithfully, seeing an unchanging, righteous and loving God in both.
The Baker Publishing Group has graciously allowed Apologetics Index to share Chapter 4 of this important book with our readers:
Monumental Rage and Kinglike Jealousy? Understanding the Covenant-Making God
Video: Is God A Moral Monster?
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 two testaments?
In his lecture “Making Sense of the Old Testament God,” Christian apologist Paul Copan addresses some of the common criticisms of the God of the Bible.
PAGES IN THIS ENTRY:
- Is God a Moral Monster?
- Understanding the Covenant-Making God
Next page: Understanding the Covenant-Making God
Article details
Related topic(s): Christianity, ethics, god, Paul Copan
First published (or major update) on Wednesday, August 31, 2011.
Last updated on April 17, 2019. Original content is © Copyright Apologetics Index. All Rights Reserved. For usage guidelines see link at the bottom.
