Note: this review was originally an Instagram story, so I had limited room to write my thoughts down, my newer reviews will be much more thorough.
This book addresses difficult topics found in the Old Testament. Many moral objections can be raised in the 21st century about the old Testament God. Paul Copan, a Christian theologian and apologist offers possible answers to those objections.
His responses usually consist of 3 valuable methods that help the reader see things differently:
Looking at cultural context in the ancient near-east. Comparing the commands of God to other cultures found in the same time/region.
Clarifying certain passages that may have been taken out of context or misunderstood due to translation. Thus showing the true intent/usage of said passage.
Showing how the law isn't the ideal. The law is good, but it's made for God's people who are supposed to be morally set apart. It's not meant to be the permanent ideal, if it was, Jesus wouldn't have come.
Why Read This?
Objections to Old Testament laws/values are very common. People love to point to the OT to show you why Christianity is bogus. This is why Christians should be familiar with these arguments. You want to be intellectually honest and provide reasons why you still believe in God.
Of course, you should also be honest with yourself. You can't just live in your Christian echo chamber and just go along with whatever your preacher tells you. Just because a lot of other people believe in something, doesn't mean you can say you do too and understand it. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you do believe that the violence against the Canaanites is justified. And try to explain to yourself why. If you can't do that, then you don't have the right to have an opinion on said topic. I was convicted by this, that's why I picked up this book.
This book offers many thorough answers to questions raised by skeptics. And boy, this book covers SO MUCH. Cultural context matters and this book excels at giving us just that when taking a look at ancient near-east civilizations. I gained a lot of knowledge from this book regarding Israel and the reasons why God has His laws and commandments.
Fill your arsenal with knowledge. A lot of the seemingly difficult objections raised by skeptics can be answered with better knowledge of the Bible itself as well as culture-related aspects of the ancient near-east.
Potential Pitfalls
Don't go into this book to prove God to not be a moral monster. Embrace the actual question "Is God a Moral Monster?". Treat Copan's answers with objectivity. Are you convinced, or are you just here to get talking points to enhance your echo chamber experience? This works vice versa as well, are you just here to tear apart arguments for God? Or are you here to fairly examine new perspectives?
I find many of Copan's arguments to be fairly convincing, but I also find some to be not so convincing, You will experience the same thing if you read this book with an open mind.
The topics raised in this book are VERY difficult for Christians to answer. The Old Testament God does seem very foreign to us. But you know, if we stepped back in time to live in that culture, we will not find our 21st century values ANYWHERE. Some people just ignore that fact and judge every era using our current values. Don't do that when reading this book. Take into account how God may have to deal with ancient near-eastern cultures differently. Also keep in mind that the nation of Israel is God's chosen people, and is subject to extra strict rules and regulations.
Lastly, scripture answers scripture. Reading verses in its full-context, looking for other examples in another part of the Bible, and seeking proper interpretation and translation are all things that should not be disregarded! Anyways, to conclude: KEEP AN OPEN MIND!
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