How do we explain god s command to israel to exterminate the canaanites. Plus, youll get an additional audiobook per month after trial. Debate between matt slick and david smally on is the god of the old testament a moral monster. A recent string of popularlevel books written by the new. In other words, any old testament evidence of this god s moral culpability must be explained away in light of the more loving and inclusive new testament passages. On one side, dr michael brown ably explained and defended the widely accepted penal substitution theory of the atonement. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. For example, god is accused of encouraging slavery or encouraging fathers to sell their daughters as slaves. Paul copan takes on neoatheists claims of a petty, malicious old testament god. Audiobook by paul copan, narrated by claton butcher. The following is my original written statement, which i modified while listening to david smally present his opening statement. The new atheists and old testament ethics paul copan philosophy and ethics palm beach atlantic university palm beach, florida the new atheists and the old testament.
Is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament. Our debate occured on october 1, 2016 in the dallasfort worth area. Monsters in picture books may at first not seem like a topic worthy of academic study. Whether you are currently wrestling with these questions, know people who are, or just want to be prepared for when they come up, dr. Buy is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god by paul copan in paperback format at koorong 9780801072758. In this audiobook, john lennox invites us to consider such claims very carefully. How do we explain gods command to israel to exterminate the canaanites. Awhile back i read paul copans book is god a moral monster. I would not expect you, or anyone, to suddenly accept them without further research. To forget this is to forget the good news and the awesome love of god for us. And how are we to reconcile the seemingly disconnected natures of god portrayed in the two. His central argument is that no, having god helps, but of course as were all made in gods image we dont need him and that we can be moral without him but having him helps make us better.
However, upon closer examination, it is clear that verses are being taken out of context by. If we are to believe many modern commentators, science has squeezed god into a corner, killed and then buried him with its allembracing explanations. God is a sadistic egotistical monster and i can show this with just a few questions, is nothing more than a pathetic, inarticulate, unqualified waste of time and space. Oct 04, 2011 these are some of the issues raised by lee strobel in a recent interview with paul copan about copans recent book is god a moral monster. Indeed we are told that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
A disgusting display of special pleading whose horrible moral impact the author cant possibly have thought through to its logical conclusion. The standard must not be subjective and should be universal. But within faith in the risen lord jesus christ and him being the fulfillment of the law and the revelation of god s character in light of that law, it is a very powerful and. What makes my jaw drop is that people today should base their lives on such an appalling role model as yahwehand even worse, that they should bossily try to force the same evil monster. Making sense of the old testament god kindle edition by paul copan author format. This particular question assumes an absolute moral standard and then accuses god of falling short of it.
In the past i perused the discussion boards on the internet and at times found it difficult to defend what god did in the old testament against the accusations of some of todays modern critics. To determine whether the god of the old testament is morally good or bad, there must first be a standard against which judgements are made. Yet the old testament presents creational moral ideals in genesis 12. It brings together important material that is otherwise scattered and demonstrates how this material responds to a line of moral criticism that has, by and large, been neglected by christian philosophers until now. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The problem is as important to the nonbeliever as it is to the believer. Many skeptics criticize biblical morality, claiming that the god described in the bible is immoral. Atheism, we are told, is the only intellectually tenable position, and any attempt to reintroduce god is likely to impede the progress of science. Get your team aligned with all the tools you need on one secure, reliable video platform. This immediately presents a problem, because it is very difficult to account for an absolute moral.
Making sense of the god of the old testament came out a few years ago, but after reading god or godless. All that own the being of a god, own that he knows all things beforehand. When i attended the society of biblical literature annual meeting in atlanta nov 2010 i picked up a copy of paul copans is god a moral monster. In the eyes of some, it presents god as fearinspiring, violent and vengeful a sharp contrast to the love and. Part 2 of copans book asks whether god is a gracious master or moral monster. Leading apologetics writer with a proven track record tackles the most difficult old testament passages and topics, helping listeners to reconcile the god of. My thoughts on the monster god debate faith meets world. For the believer, it threatens to dethrone god from his place in their hearts. Debate between matt slick and david smally on is the god of. Making sense of the old testament god 1st edition by copan, paul isbn. On closer inspection, the hero status accorded to abraham, moses and david in the old testament and echoed in the new testament is rooted not in their moral perfection but in their uncompromising dedication to the cause of yahweh and their rugged trust in the promises of god rather than lapsing into the idolatry of many of their contemporaries.
Is it really true, he asks, that everything in science points towards atheism. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that verses are being taken out of context by those attempting to read and understand scripture. Or as paul copan phrases the question in the title of his recent book, is god a moral monster. This viewpoint is even making inroads into the church.
Hilber, professor of old testament at grand rapids theological seminary. Is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god copan, paul on. Nonbelievers have been known to accuse god of being hypocritical, selfish, arrogant, judgmental, hateful, and even homicidala moral monster. Were posting the full interview, which was featured in lees investigating faith email newsletter here at bible gateway, below.
Is an assessment of the covenant, and whether picking one people is horrid and discriminatory or a good way to benefit the whole of humanity, i. Those who would say that god is a moral monster such as christopher hitchens, actually argue that the cross the sacrifice of jesus and necessity of the cross is morally henious. Richard dawkins, for instance, writes that the god of the old testament is a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. These are some of the issues raised by lee strobel in a recent interview with paul copan about copans recent book is god a moral monster. Oxonian richard dawkins thinks that yahweh is truly a moral monster. Are the charges made by the new atheists a distorted representation of old testament ethics or is god a moral monster, as the new atheists says he is. The new atheists dawkins, dennett, harris, hitchens level arguments against old testament morality as primitive and barbaric, presumably undercutting belief in the biblical god yahweh. Much has been written in recent years on the moral problems with the depiction of god in the old testament. There is one very serious defect to my mind in christs moral character, and that is that he believed in hell. Copan takes the time to explain many of the old testaments seemingly inexplicable and tedious laws. Because of israels embeddedness in the ancient near easts harsh, morallyproblematic social milieu, old testament legislation is in.
Is god a moral monster by paul copan free audiobook. God is a sadistic egotistical monster and i can show this. When a person rejects the god of the bible, he often chooses to label him as immoral. I under stand the need for the topics discussed in the book, but. Written by paul copan, audiobook narrated by claton butcher. A recent string of popularlevel books written by the new atheists have leveled the accusation that the god of the old testament is nothing but a bully, a murderer. Two days ago, international house of prayer ihop in kansas city, usa hosted a debate titled monster god or monster man. For people who see themselves as having a superior intellect and moral foundation to which god must answer, some of dr. Oct 07, 2016 how do we explain gods command to israel to exterminate the canaanites.
Buy is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god 1st edition by copan, paul isbn. A recent string of popularlevel books written by the new atheists have leveled the accusation that the god of the old testament is nothing but a bully, a murderer, and a cosmic child abuser. For the nonbeliever, it is an obstacle towards coming to faith. A brief overview todays new atheists are not at all impressed with the moral credentials of the old testament ot god. In other words, any old testament evidence of this gods moral culpability must be explained away in light of the more loving and inclusive new testament passages. To download your free copy of this audiobook, visit the how do i get my free audiobook. Making sense of the old testament god grand rapids. We might as well say that yahweh isnt a moral monster because, really, when. However, opans analysis and explanation of gods actions is stellar.
I can only hope that in these few paragraphs i have provided a spark of insight into why judaism proclaims that god is moral, and a spark of hope to you who sincerely struggles with the concept of a moral god. The conquest of canaan is arguably the most intractable ethical problem in the bible, and to date no solution has garnered a consensus, says john w. Jan 01, 2011 is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god copan, paul on. Debate between matt slick and david smally on is the god. Is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god. I wanted to explore issues in old testament apologetics further. Nearly fifty years ago, the british agnostic bertrand russell penned these words. In the end, copans book only appeals to christians who are worried the about possibility that their god might be a moral monster. Ormandy presents a variety of analytical essays that apply literary theories from structuralism to feminism to postcolonialism as they discuss how monster stories help expose and educate children to the values of society.
May 03, 2012 whether you are currently wrestling with these questions, know people who are, or just want to be prepared for when they come up, dr. Is an assessment of whether god craves attention, or whether being religious and worshipping god is a way of improving the self. When my book proposal for god behaving badly went to publishers sept 2009 word came back that baker already had a book on a similar topic coming out which got my attention. Thankfully, baker books granted my request, and now here we are. Sometimes the real monster lies not so much in criticisms from without as in our own holding to. Gods undertaker is an invaluable contribution to the debate about sciences relationship to religion. Now, it is selfevident that if he knows all things beforehand, he either approves of them or does not approve of them.
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