“On December 22, 2020, I participated in a debate with atheist Dan Barker on the topic “Is the Christian God Worthy of Worship?” The debate was hosted by Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity. In preparation for it, I mapped out several points I wanted to address, points which were the culmination of my thinking on the topic of biblical violence, theology, and hermeneutics dating back to 2008. A few days later, on December 26, I decided to turn those rough notes into a book and so I started writing. I kept writing through January and finally completed the manuscript two months later, in late February. “ (quoted from the Foreword)
At that point, I switched to final editing and typesetting. And now, at long last, Jesus Loves Canaanites is finished.
I anticipate that this book will take fire from all sides. Conservative Christians will be incensed that I critique their interpretation of the Bible as immoral and inconsistent with Christian formation. Meanwhile, atheists and other assorted skeptics will be indignant that I maintain a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation, even to the point of doggedly defending biblical inerrancy qua the divine authorial voice. And various other folks will likely complain that I don’t provide the one golden key to unlock the whole and explain biblical violence in one neat, theoretical package.
But I can say this: in writing this book, I have been true to my own convictions. And along the way, I do believe that I have staked out a distinct position based on careful attention to moral intuition and my sustained critique of various other perspectives.
At this point, the book is only available to order in paperback at Amazon.com. Other sellers will be coming online in the coming weeks. And the Kindle version should be available in a few days. Be prepared to wait for a few extra days as the book will go into print in the coming week.
