What About the God of the Old Testament?

One of the most powerful punches of the New Atheism is their rhetorical jab at the so-called “God of the Old Testament.” Repeatedly, the New Atheists attack the moral atrocities of the Old Testament, as evidence that God cannot be worthy of directing and leading our lives—let alone our universe. For instance, in his book The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins writes,

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character of all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.[1]

Today, the most common attack on Christianity is the goodness of God. Our secular friends and family are only one click away from an internet search revealing difficulties with the Bible:

Explore rigorous answers to some of the toughest questions regarding the goodness of God in the OT.

Articles on the Old Testament

Tips for Interpreting OT Law

What about an Eye for an Eye?

What about OT Slavery?

What about the Canaanite Genocide?

What about the “Cursings” in the Psalms?

What about Polygamy?

What about Rape?

What about Capital Punishment?

Why the Arbitrary Laws?

[1] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006), 51.