David T. Lamb - God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist?

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A Bad Reputation

H ow does one reconcile the loving God of the Old Testament with the harsh God of the New Testament?

When I ask this question of students, at first they are shocked, and then most assume that I have simply misspoken, as I am prone to do. They typically have heard the question inverted, along these lines: How did the mean Old Testament God morph into a nice guy like Jesus? I assure them that this time, at least, I have not accidentally inverted my words. I then observe that God in the Old Testament The word hell doesnt even show up in English translations of the Old Testament.

My question usually provokes a lively discussion. Eventually I assure the class that I believe that the God of both the Old and the New Testaments can be characterized by love. This book is my attempt to reconcile the supposedly contradictory portrayals of God in the two testaments, but first let me explain how I ended up teaching about the loving God of the Old Testament.

More than ten years ago, I had to decide whether to focus on the Old Testament or the New Testament for study and teaching. It was one of the most important decisions of my life. I love the whole Bible, and it was painful to think about just focusing on one section of it. I thought perhaps I should select the New Testament, because my favorite book was Marks Gospel, and I had spent more time teaching it than any other section of Scripture. But then I hesitated because the world of New Testament studies seemed crowded. Finding an available New Testament research topic felt like looking for a parking space in the Target lot on Christmas Eve (not that I would have any personal experience of that). It would have been difficult for me to come up with fresh ideas that werent heretical.

So I considered the Old Testament. If I focused on the Old Testament, I wouldnt have to worry about bumping into someone else working on the same obscure half-verse. I also didnt need to be quite so paranoid about heresy, because we expect to find weird stuff in the Old Testament.

But the most compelling factor drawing me toward studying the Old Testament was God himself. The God of the Old Testament was fascinating to me. He became really angry, but was also extraordinarily patient. He seemed to view women and wives as property, but he also selected women as spiritual and political leaders over the nation of Israel. He commanded Israel to vanquish the Canaanites, but also to care for the poor, the widows, the orphans and the foreigners. God in the Old Testament was complex. There was so much about God in the Old Testament that I didnt understand. I thought I could study the Old Testament for the rest of my life and never feel bored.

I chose the Old Testament.

A decade later I still cant imagine getting tired of studying the Old Testament. Nothing gives me more joy than teaching it. (Well, almost nothing.) I love the Old Testament, and in particular examining the God who is revealed there.

Over the years, though, I have noticed that atheists, agnostics and even Christians perceive the God of the Old Testament negatively. They read the same passages I have just mentioned and instead of seeing a complex portrayal of God that requires more study, they focus on the problematic aspects. As a result, they often ask about reconciling the harsh God of the Old Testament with the loving God of the New Testament. To them he seems angry, sexist and racist.

The God of the Old Testament has a bad reputation.

Is the God of the Old Testament Really Angry, Sexist and Racist?

If you have spent time reading the Old Testament, you probably know what Im talking about. While reading about the ark of the covenants procession to Jerusalem, how many of us have wondered what Uzzah did that was so bad? Did God really have to instantly smite him for simply preventing the ark from tipping over (2 Sam 6:7)? Shouldnt Uzzah have been rewarded? Why was God so mad at him? Is the God of the Old Testament always angry?

After Lot has convinced the two angelic strangers not to spend the night in the Sodom town square, a violent mob surrounds his house (Gen 19:2-8). In an attempt to appease the crowd, Lot comes up with a brilliant idea: Here, take my two virgin daughters instead. Isnt Lot supposed to be the only righteous guy in Sodom? How The text never condemns Lot for his brutal proposal, so it makes not only Lot but also his God seem misogynistic. Is the God of the Old Testament sexist?

As Israel was moving into the Promised Land, God commanded them to utterly wipe out the people of that land, the Canaanites (Josh 10:40). While the Canaanites were the bad guys (Deut 9:5), it still sounds like genocide. What kind of God would command such a slaughter? God seemed to value the Israelites more than the Canaanites. Is the God of the Old Testament racist?

Problematic texts such as these have contributed to

God the Cosmic Causer of Catastrophes

One of Gary Larsons most famous The Far Side cartoons depicts God sitting at his computer, which is displaying an image of A grand piano hangs precariously, just inches over the guys head, supported only by a few thin ropes. God watches with his hand hovering over the keyboard, his index finger about to strike the SMITE key.

Larsons portrayal of God is funny, but also tragic. Tragic because it strikes a little too close to home for readers of the Old Testament as we encounter texts that describe how God smites, strikes, slays and even slaughters.

We dont need to look far to find other examples of negative portrayals of God in popular culture. In Bruce Almighty , Bruce (Jim Carrey), in a fit of suicidal depression because he lost the anchor job to Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), screams to God, Smite me, O mighty smiter! Interestingly, the prophet Elijah made a similar request to God (It is enough; now, O L ord Apparently, both Bruce and Elijah seemed to think that smiting is part of Gods job description. While we could argue that Bruce didnt really know God very well, we cant apply that logic to Elijah. After all, God liked him (Elijah, not Bruce) enough to swoop him up directly into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). So, is smiting really part of Gods nature?

In an episode from the first season of The Simpsons , Barts Sunday school While viewers arent provided with the actual reasons, the teachers perception of God as a cosmic causer of catastrophes seems to follow in the same vein as The Far Side and Bruce Almighty .

A Megalomaniacal, Sadomasochistic, Capriciously Malevolent Bully?

While we might be tempted not to take these negative popular portrayals seriously because of their comical nature, it is difficult to brush aside quickly the view of atheist Richard Dawkins. In his bestselling book The God Delusion , he writes,

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a

While I dont agree with Dawkinss conclusions, his exaggerated tone does make for interesting reading, which explains its sales success. The fact that Dawkinss book has become an international bestseller indicates that he has touched a nerve.

The title of Christopher Hitchenss 2007 bestseller expresses a similar anti-God sentiment rather provocatively: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything Perhaps no atheist writers since Bertrand Russell have made such a splash in popular culture as Dawkins and Hitchens. Larson, Bruce, The Simpsons , Dawkins and Hitchens all seem to view God negatively.

A negative perspective on God can even be found in the realm of insurance terminology. What is the legal term for disastrous events outside human control such as floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes? Acts of God. While this terminology doesnt necessarily preclude God doing good or kind acts, the lack of a negative qualifier ( destructive acts of God) suggests that when God acts, he wreaks havoc.