By David T. Lamb

God has a foul popularity. Many examine God as wrathful and offended, smiting humans correct and left for no obvious cause. The outdated testomony particularly turns out from time to time to painting God as capricious and malevolent, wiping out armies and countries, punishing enemies with severe prejudice. yet wait. the tale is extra complex than that. along troubling passages of God's punishment and judgment are photos of God's love, forgiveness, goodness and slowness to anger. How can we make experience of the seeming contradiction? Can God be depended on or now not? David Lamb unpacks the complexity of the previous testomony to discover the nature of God. He presents old and cultural history to make clear complicated passages and to carry underlying topics to the fore. with out minimizing the occasionally harsh realities of the biblical list, Lamb assembles an total portrait that provides coherence to our figuring out of God in either the previous and New Testaments.

REVIEWS

"This is a publication which not just will be learn by way of these [who are] into apologetics, yet learn by means of all
Christians in our church buildings. it really is impressive correct on the middle of 1 of the main urgent questions being
asked this day and we can't forget about this. God Behaving Badly is a really priceless publication in wrestling
with those very tricky questions in a winsome, biblical and readable manner. while you're at all
missionally residing in our tradition and conscious of the questions being requested and demanding situations to
Christianity, you then fairly can't aid yet learn this book!"
DAN KIMBALL, writer of they prefer Jesus yet no longer the Church
"Dave Lamb's ebook is a well-liked apologetic that solutions the query, Is the God of the previous Testament
angry, sexist and racist?' He prefaces his solutions with an exceptional biblical interpretation guide. The
author emphatically states, once we technique Scripture, we needs to take the context seriously.' Dave
really does that! The observe context appears to be like fifty nine instances, scattered in the course of the e-book. Dave's solid
contextual research of passages-which may well seem to say, convinced, definite, certain in solution to the question
about God's anger, his view of gender and his view of races-was a spotlight for me. Dave's
unraveling of many troublesome texts by way of contextual research is excellent. moreover, his many,
many masterful note stories make clear his contextual analyses. Dave writes with winsome humor.
He loves the outdated testomony, and you may inform that as you learn the popularly written, academically
sound, easy-to-read move of fabric in every one bankruptcy. After examining Dave's booklet, i'm certain you will
appreciate that Dave perspectives the God of the previous testomony and the God of the hot testomony as one."
BOBBY CLINTON, professor of management, college of Intercultural stories at Fuller Theological
Seminary
"It has been acknowledged that when you love whatever lengthy sufficient it finds itself to you-that love is a
hermeneutical key to unlocking the mysteries of existence itself. this can be very true for the Bible and the
God of the Bible, for God is love and will in basic terms be really recognized in love. David Lamb has enjoyed his
way into knowing Yahweh extra totally; for this reason he can lovingly support us to `see' and
experience God in new and revealing ways."
author of The Forgotten Ways
"In a lot of our African American church buildings we often recite the chorus `God is nice all of the time
and forever God is good.' God Behaving Badly is a fascinating, considerate, witty and worthwhile book
that can provide we all Christian readers a section extra self belief whilst reciting that chorus. David Lamb
gives sound information for knowing a tricky subject. Lamb bargains an apologetic for no longer only
believing in God but additionally believing that God is good-even as he's portrayed within the previous Testament.
Professor Lamb's scholarship is sound, and his humorousness had me giggling out loud. no longer many
theology books can do this! i will use this e-book in school and enthusiastically suggest it to
my congregants!"
REV. DENNIS R. EDWARDS, Ph.D., pastor, Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, D.C.
"Let's face it: God will get loads of undesirable press-it could be a little embarrassing. So even the name of Dave
Lamb's booklet gave me wish. Dave supplies sincere voice and planned consciousness to a few of the most
troublesome questions people have ever requested, and brings not just solutions yet develops our view
of God too. the main exciting factor approximately this ebook is that i will be able to suggest it to either the devoted and
the skittish, to associates and scholars and those that take into consideration God and are not yes what to think."
ALISON SIEWERT, New Ministry Developer, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and editor, Worship
Team Handbook
"I would require my students to learn this ebook. I grew to become delicate to the `God questions' in the
Bible simply because scholars requested me questions that got here instantly from hearts. This ebook is
written for college kids and speaks with wit and knowledge to the questions they have."
SCOT McKNIGHT, Karl A. Olsson Professor in non secular experiences, North Park University
"David Lamb faces as much as all of the questions that the majority usually hassle humans concerning the God of the Old
Testament. Written in a winsome and fascinating means, this e-book goes to assist many that wonder whether the
God of the previous testomony is certainly the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
JOHN GOLDINGAY, David Allan Hubbard Professor of previous testomony, Fuller Theological
Seminary

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Additional info for God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist ?

Example text

This law that appears sexist to us is actually attempting to correct a problem in the sexist world of the Old Testament. While it might not make sense from our perspective, in that context it was a good thing for the victim. The marriage that the law commanded provided the necessary security for the victimized woman and reduced the tragic consequences of the rape. The law also commanded that the man is never permitted to divorce her, so a woman who has been raped has a guarantee of future security that most women would not have.

His behavior sends a clear message that his two daughters were less valuable than the two strangers. If the narrative were to condone Lot's behavior, then not only is Lot sexist, but Yahweh and the Old Testament are sexist also. However, I see three reasons to conclude that the narrative is not endorsing Lot's behavior. 24 An absence of condemnation does not constitute an affirmation. Lot and his family are consistently held up as negative examples in this section of Genesis. He was slow to leave town, his wife disobeyed by rubber-necking to see the carnage, and his daughters intoxicated him and seduced him so they could be impregnated.

The first thing the Bible says about women is actually amazingly positive. It is hard to imagine something that could make women look better. " (Gen 1:26-28 NRSV) Four times in two verses the text states that the humans were made in God's image or likeness. ") This four-fold repetition of image/likeness in just two verses tells us that this idea is important. The first thing that God says about women is that they are like him. Women are Godlike. ) 13 Women are created by God to be a reflection of himself and his glory.

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