Ebook: God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist ?

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 to 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.

REVIEWS

"This is a book which not only should be read by those [who are] into apologetics, but read by all
Christians in our churches. It is striking right at the heart of one of the most pressing questions being
asked today and we cannot ignore this. God Behaving Badly is an extremely helpful book in wrestling
with these very difficult questions in a winsome, biblical and readable way. If you are at all
missionally living in our culture and aware of the questions being asked and challenges to
Christianity, then you really cannot help but read this book!"
DAN KIMBALL, author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church
"Dave Lamb's book is a popular apologetic that answers the question, Is the God of the Old Testament
angry, sexist and racist?' He prefaces his answers with a solid biblical interpretation guideline. The
author emphatically states, When we approach Scripture, we must take the context seriously.' Dave
really does that! The word context appears 59 times, scattered throughout the book. Dave's solid
contextual analysis of passages-which might appear to say, Yes, Yes, Yes in answer to the question
about God's anger, his view of gender and his view of races-was a highlight for me. Dave's
unraveling of many problematic texts in terms of contextual analysis is superb. In addition, his many,
many masterful word studies shed light on his contextual analyses. Dave writes with winsome humor.
He loves the Old Testament, and you can tell that as you read the popularly written, academically
sound, easy-to-read flow of material in each chapter. After reading Dave's book, I am sure you will
appreciate that Dave views the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament as one."
BOBBY CLINTON, professor of leadership, School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological
Seminary
"It has been said that if you love something long enough it reveals itself to you-that love is a
hermeneutical key to unlocking the mysteries of life itself. This is especially true for the Bible and the
God of the Bible, for God is love and can only be truly known in love. David Lamb has loved his
way into understanding Yahweh more fully; subsequently he can lovingly help us to `see' and
experience God in new and revealing ways."
author of The Forgotten Ways
"In many of our African American churches we frequently recite the refrain `God is good all the time
and all the time God is good.' God Behaving Badly is an engaging, thoughtful, witty and helpful book
that can give all of us Christian readers a bit more confidence when reciting that refrain. David Lamb
gives sound guidance for understanding a difficult topic. Lamb offers an apologetic for not only
believing in God but also believing that God is good-even as he is portrayed in the Old Testament.
Professor Lamb's scholarship is sound, and his sense of humor had me laughing out loud. Not many
theology books can do that! I'm going to use this book in class and enthusiastically recommend it to
my congregants!"
REV. DENNIS R. EDWARDS, Ph.D., pastor, Peace Fellowship Church, Washington, D.C.
"Let's face it: God gets a lot of bad press-it can be a little embarrassing. So even the title of Dave
Lamb's book gave me hope. Dave gives honest voice and deliberate attention to some of the most
troublesome questions humans have ever asked, and brings not only answers but develops our view
of God too. The most thrilling thing about this book is that I can recommend it to both the faithful and
the skittish, to friends and students and people who think about God and aren't sure what to think."
ALISON SIEWERT, New Ministry Developer, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and editor, Worship
Team Handbook
"I will require my college students to read this book. I became sensitive to the `God questions' in the
Bible because students asked me questions that came straight from troubled hearts. This book is
written for students and speaks with wit and wisdom to the questions they have."
SCOT McKNIGHT, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University
"David Lamb faces up to all the questions that most often trouble people about the God of the Old
Testament. Written in a winsome and engaging way, this book is going to help many who wonder if the
God of the Old Testament is indeed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
JOHN GOLDINGAY, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological
Seminary