<aside> 📌 Is God a Moral Monster takes on the most challenging passages of Scripture that serve as ammo for hostile non-Christians and weights that burden the conscience of Bible reading Christians. Copan addresses topics of atheism, slavery, conquest, misogyny, weird laws and several more by helping the reader read between the lines to see God’s goodness in the midst of it all. Along the way, he subtly drops several keys to interpreting the challenging texts correctly that can be applied to any number of passages.

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Keys to Interpretive Challenges

When reading the Bible that is uniquely crafted ancient Near Eastern literature, we will inevitably come across passages that disturb or shock our modern eyes and ears. Throughout the book, Copan refers to several keys to interpretation regarding topics such as violence, slavery, misogyny and more:

• God has chosen to be relational with humans in establishing a partnership of dominion of the earth. He has given us the “dignity of causality” in which our intentions and actions have real effect in making this world what it is.
• The resulting societal structures that we make and shape in the world are the structures and cultures that God chooses to work within.
• The Law of Israel contains significant improvements to ANE counterparts yet within the bounds of their ANE societal structures. This is to both enable easier acceptance of such statues while promoting advancement towards the ideal.
• God’s laws for Israel helped them practically experience deeper theological realities of being set apart as holy; providing physical reminders for them to fulfill their covenant with God.
• Case law does not imply approval (If _____ happens, then _____.)
• If an event is described in the Bible it does not mean it is prescribed today.

Brief Responses to Important Questions

Is God’s desire for praise a sign of arrogance or insecurity?

• Humility is an accurate view of oneself whereas pride is an inflated one. God is deserving of praise, and devotion to Him is where human beings find flourishing. It is through idolatry that we are robbed, beaten, and cheated out of an abundant life.

Is a God who gets jealous worth worshipping?

• God chose to relate to His people as a husband does a wife. He is intimately involved with us. Any marriage should prioritize fidelity and one that doesn’t is not much of a relationship at all. God’s anger in Scripture is always calculated, always with warning of judgement, and always with invitation to repentance.

Is God a bully for asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac?

• Abraham had a track record of faith in God from his leaving of Ur to trusting God enough to let Ishmael leave with Hagar. God asked Abraham to do something that Abraham had enough faith God would either not ask him to follow through on the act (ie sacrifice Isaac) or God would redeem it (ie raise Isaac from the dead).

Doesn’t the Bible tell you to obey a bunch of weird laws that you clearly don’t obey?

• In order to use the Bible properly, we must understand what the Bible is (and what it isn’t). The Bible is a story of God’s redemptive plan for all mankind; it isn’t a list of rules for everyone to follow at every point in history. Scripture itself attests the law was a good but temporary measure until a new convenant was established (ie the blood of Christ).

Why did God give Israel such weird laws?

• Israel was chosen by God out of all the nations to be a partnering vessel to bring God’s glory to all nations. Since Israel was chosen (aka set apart; holy), they were to function differently than those they were set apart from.