They say it is better for a book to be reviled or attacked than ignored. If ever there was a case to challenge that common wisdom, it is found with Thom Stark’s book-length review of Paul Copan’s book Is God a Moral Monster? (Baker, 2011). Stark’s review is called Is God a Moral Compromiser? It […]
Is God a Moral Monster?
Reflections on the Thom Stark-Paul Copan debate
Robert helpfully supplied a link to Paul Copan’s much anticipated response to Thom Stark’s three hundred page review of Is God a Moral Monster? Having read Paul’s book, the first hundred pages of Thom’s review, and the entirety of Paul Copan’s response (which, thankfully, was much shorter), I have some initial thoughts. First, I think Thom Stark […]
Thom Stark’s review of Paul Copan’s “Is God a Moral Monster?”
Thom Stark has completed his review of Paul Copan’s Is God a Moral Monster. The review is available here. I haven’t read the review yet because, well, I don’t have ten hours to spare. (Me suspects nobody will ever fault Thom Stark for failing to meet his word count.) Anyway, based on my limited experience […]
“Is God a Moral Monster? A Review (Part 4)
Paul Copan. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8010-7275-8. 252 pp. The time has come to draw this review to a close. In this final installment of the review I’ll focus on Copan’s treatment of human sacrifice, genocide and ethnic cleansing in scripture. […]
“Is God a Moral Monster?” A Review (Part 3)
In this section of the review (a review which will now likely be at least four parts) I want to focus on a dilemma Copan faces: either admit that certain actions undertaken by the Israelites which they attributed to divine direction were morally barbaric and should be rejected, or affirm that these actions really were morally good, […]
“Is God a Moral Monster?” A Review (Part 2)
Paul Copan. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8010-7275-8. 252 pp. Note to the reader: this was originally going to be a two part review. I’ve decided to extend it to three (or more) parts so I can stretch my legs a bit. […]
“Is God a Moral Monster?” A Review (Part 1)
Paul Copan. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8010-7275-8. 252 pp. Much has been written in recent years on the moral problems with the depiction of God in the Old Testament. Paul Copan’s Is God a Moral Monster? is a welcome entry to […]