Who's Afraid of the Old Testament God?. Alden L Thompson
Edwards, Seventh-day Adventist pastor, church administrator, Egypt
I could not solve some heavy biblical passages until this book found me. Now I know that God is my personal Friend who will use a radical touch to reach those far from him.
Alin Apostol, former student of Thompson’s, pastor and leader of a 100-voice male chorus, Romania
Thompson finds God’s compassion and wisdom in the most perplexing Old Testament stories. He teaches us to be faithful to the Bible ‘as it reads’ and to be confident in the God who inspired it.
John McLarty, pastor, author, editor, Washington State, USA
In simple language, the book addresses the question: Why is the Old Testament God so different from the God revealed in Jesus Christ? Thompson shows that God has never changed – and that’s why he goes to such great lengths to reach people who do.
Kristen Falch Jakobsen, translator of the Norwegian edition, Norway
With openness, honesty and without glossing over the troubling parts, the author addresses the sharp contrast between the story of Jesus and the stories in Jesus’ Bible. The reader will be richly rewarded with an entirely new view of the God of the Old Testament.
Nils Detlefsen, high school teacher, Switzerland
Thompson leads his readers into the very heart of difficult terrain. His balanced, faithful, and courageous exploration ultimately makes it possible for us to read all of the Old Testament with anticipation rather than fear.
Paul Dybdahl, Biblical Studies, Walla Walla University
This book was published in Russia at just the right moment and has attracted both atheists and believers. The question of “extremism” in Scripture has triggered heated discussions and awkward silence at the same time and we had no good answers. Thompson’s book brings us back to the Bible’s message.
Andrei Bogoslovsky, EXMO Publishers, Russia
I’ve appreciated how this book deals openly and frankly with those situations and stories which, to our “New Testament mind,” appear most objectionable. Especially helpful were the discussions of how God meets people at the level of their barbaric customs, but always in order to lead them to higher ground.
Fred Thomas, retired church administrator, Texas, USA
It is an extremely important book and has helped me a lot in regard to my view of God.
Lasse Stølen, pastor, publisher of Norwegian edition, Norway
The book helps us understand the Old Testament within the context of its own culture. The author’s clear style will be appreciated not only by serious Bible students, but also by those who may have dismissed the Old Testament for the New. This work brings the testaments together.
Alan Hodges, pastor, church administrator, England
Finished reading Alden’s books. The one on the prophet was interesting but the one on the OT God is just superb. Plan to read it once more on the flight to Delhi. I see that a non-SDA publisher published it. Nice that he was not discriminated against just because he is SDA. Also shows that his scholarship is respected outside his church.
Already 8 people, all pastors, borrowed and read the OT God book. The same people who read the book on inspiration. They are becoming more educated in the process.
Hope Alden and others like him can get together and write a commentary on the entire Bible. It would be a great work. I will be the first person to purchase it.
Meera Gargi, Ph.D, Department of Economics Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India (Hindu convert to Christianity, Dec. 2007 [from her journal])
Who's Afraid of the Old Testament God?
Alden Thompson
Energion Publications
www.energionpubs.com
Copyright © 1989 by Alden Thompson
Unless otherwise stated, the Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by permission
Previous editions:
Paternoster, 1988
Zondervan, 1989
Pacesetters Bible School, 2000
4th Revised Edition, 2003
Cover Photograph: Copyright © Martin Fischer| Dreamstime.com Used by Permission.
Electronic Edition: 978-1-63199-539-2
Kobo Edition: 978-1-63199-658-0
Print edition ISBNs:
ISBN10: 1-893729-90-7
ISBN13: 978-1-893729-90-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011938661
Dedicated
To my gentle wife
WANDA
Who still does not enjoy reading the Old Testament —in spite of all my urgings and explanations
Author’s Preface
For some time this book has been threatening to find its way onto paper. The urging of friends, the needs of the college classroom, and my concern for the life of the Christian community, are all significant arguments as to why the task should have been completed long before now. Every chapter contains material that has proved to be a real blessing in my own Christian experience. In the end, the urge to share that experience provided the motivation that has finally brought the work to completion.
I write as a conservative Christian with a deep concern for the life of the conservative Christian community. My hope is that the book will appeal both to those who have been part of such a community all their lives, and to those who find themselves attracted for one reason or another to the kind of life and experience offered by a conservative approach to the Christian tradition.
On the basis of my own observations, I am convinced that within this approach to Christianity lies great potential for good or for evil. The strong religious convictions which are generally a part of conservative Christianity can lead to a beautiful and liberating experience, but gone awry, can result in bitterness, hostility or despair. Ultimately, whether our experience blossoms or withers depends on the kind of God we serve and the kind of God we find revealed through Scripture.
You may find it surprising that it was actually the Old Testament that brought my Christian experience to life. The Old Testament God generally has a rather poor reputation, even in Christian circles. But it was indeed my study of the Old Testament which has forced me to reexamine my understanding of God and has led me to a much clearer grasp of how he would have me live and what he would have me believe about him.
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Throughout the book you will recognize an active dialogue with the New Testament, with traditional Christian positions, with modern scholarship and with Christian experience. The book is not really designed to be “scholarly,” but it does attempt to show how modern scholarship can often shed fresh light on biblical interpretation. I have discovered that taking a fresh look at Scripture in the light of modern scholarship can lead to very worthwhile gains in the understanding of Scripture, and thus for Christian experience.
Conservatives have often been quite hostile to modern scholarship; part of the reason for that hostility no doubt stems from the rough treatment that their approach has sometimes received at the hands of biblical scholars. In any event, more heat than light has often been generated, and that has been most unfortunate. My own serious exposure to modern biblical scholarship came from the faculty of New College at the University of Edinburgh, under the direction of men who were extremely helpful even though they did not always share my convictions.