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Book Cover for: Is God a Vindictive Bully?: Reconciling Portrayals of God in the Old and New Testaments, Paul Copan

Is God a Vindictive Bully?: Reconciling Portrayals of God in the Old and New Testaments

Paul Copan

Christianity Today 2023 Award of Merit (Apologetics & Evangelism)

Critics outside the church often accuse the Old Testament God of genocide, racism, ethnic cleansing, and violence. But a rising tide of critics within the church claim that Moses and other "primitive," violence-prone prophets were mistaken about God's commands and character. Both sets of critics dismiss this allegedly harsh, flawed, "textual" Old Testament God in favor of the kind, compassionate, "actual" God revealed by Jesus. Are they right to do so?

Following his popular book Is God a Moral Monster?, noted apologist Paul Copan confronts false, imbalanced teaching that is confusing and misleading many Christians. Copan takes on some of the most difficult Old Testament challenges and places them in their larger historical and theological contexts. He explores the kindness, patience, and compassion of God in the Old Testament and shows how Jesus in the New Testament reveals not only divine kindness but also divine severity. The book includes a detailed Scripture index of difficult and controversial passages and is helpful for anyone interested in understanding the flaws in these emerging claims that are creating a destructive gap between the Testaments.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Baker Academic
  • Publish Date: Oct 18th, 2022
  • Pages: 320
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.05in - 5.98in - 0.85in - 0.80lb
  • EAN: 9781540964557
  • Categories: Christian Theology - ApologeticsBiblical Criticism & Interpretation - Old TestamentBiblical Studies - Old Testament - General

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About the Author

Copan, Paul: - Paul Copan, PhD, is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University and helped establish the new MA in philosophy of religion at PBA. He's served as president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, published over 40 books, authored essays in over 50 books and professional journals, and contributes regularly to Worldview Bulletin. Paul is currently co-chair of the Tyndale Fellowship Philosophy of Religion Study Group (UK). He was a visiting scholar at Oxford University in 2017 and 2024. He lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Learn more at PaulCopan.com.

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