God has a bad reputation. Many think of God as wrathful and angry, smiting people right and left for no apparent reason. The Old Testament in particular seems at times to portray God as capricious and malevolent, wiping out armies and nations, punishing enemies with extreme prejudice..
But wait. The story is more complicated than that. Alongside troubling passages of God's punishment and judgment are pictures of God's love, forgiveness, goodness, and slowness to anger. How do we make sense of the seeming contradiction? Can God be trusted or not?.
David Lamb unpacks the complexity of the Old Testament to explore the character of God. He provides historical and cultural background to shed light on problematic passages and bring underlying themes to the fore. Without minimizing the sometimes harsh realities of the biblical record, Lamb assembles an overall portrait that gives coherence to our understanding of God in both the Old and New Testaments. This expanded edition includes an updated preface, afterword, and appendix addressing the story of Noah and the flood.
Cuprins
Preface to Expanded Edition
1. A Bad Reputation
2. Angry or Loving?
3. Sexist or Affirming?
4. Racist or Hospitable?
5. Violent or Peaceful?
6. Legalistic or Gracious?
7. Rigid or Flexible?
8. Distant or Near?
Epilogue: Is the Answer Really ‘Yes, Yes and Yes’?
Afterword to the Expanded Edition
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Noah and the Flood: Moving Beyond the Arky
For Further Reading
Discussion Questions
Notes
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Despre autor
David T. Lamb is the Allan A. Mac Rae Professor of Old Testament and dean of faculty at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He previously worked in campus ministry with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship and has taught extensively in various crosscultural contexts. His books include God Behaving Badly, Prostitutes and Polygamists, and 1 and 2 Kings. in the Story of God Bible Commentary series.