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Did God Perform the First Sacrifice in Genesis 3:21?

By Jeremy Myers
134 Comments

Did God Perform the First Sacrifice in Genesis 3:21?

first sacrifice Genesis 3 21

Many believe that the first sacrifice was carried out by God Himself in Genesis 3:21 which says that God made tunics of skin for Adam and Eve so that they could be clothed.

Did God Sacrifice an Animal in Genesis 3:21?

Although the text says nothing about a sacrifice, many believe that a sacrifice is implied.

It is often taught that after the first sin was committed, God wanted to show Adam and Eve that sin has consequences, and so He slew an animal in front of them, and made clothes for them from the hide of the dead animal.

Some have even speculated that the animal was a lamb, thereby presenting a prophetical picture of Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 5:6; 13:8).

Furthermore, some have argued that in this death of the animal, God was teaching Adam and Eve the theological principle of substitutionary atonement. He had told Adam that if they ate of the fruit they would surely die, and so after they ate of the fruit, God should have killed them, but instead He killed an animal in their place.

But Did God Really Perform the First Sacrifice?

But is any of this really true? Did God really practice the first animal sacrifice? Was it truly a lamb? Did God intend for Adam and Eve to learn about substitutionary atonement?

sacrifice genesis 3 21Frankly, this seems to be an awful lot to read into one single verse which says nothing other than that โ€œGod made tunics of skin, and clothed them.โ€

The death of an animal is never mentioned.

A lamb is never mentioned.

Substitutionary atonement isnโ€™t even inferred.

So where did God get the skin in which he clothed Adam and Eve?

The text simply doesnโ€™t say.

Maybe he made it.

The word for โ€œskinโ€ that is used can refer to either human or animal skin.

There have been some streams of Judaism and Christianity which believed that prior to the event described in Genesis 3:21, humans did not have โ€œskinโ€ the way we see it today, but existed in some other form. They believed that we were โ€œclothed in lightโ€ like God (Psalm 104:2) and that when Adam and Eve sinned, the light left them and they tried to replace the light with leaves (Genesis 3:7), which was an insufficient covering, and so God gave them skin instead.

This view is a little too mystical (or maybe even Gnostic) for most Christians, and yet it cannot be proven or disproven from the text any more than the traditional view that God killed an animal to make clothes for Adam and Eve.

Maybe it was snake skin.

snake skinIt is interesting to note, however, that one of the more common Jewish explanations of this text is that the skin which Adam and Eve were clothed with was snake skin. The Jewish Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that the Lord made garments for Adam and Eve from the skin which the serpent in the garden had cast off. This seems pretty far-fetched if you have ever seen the papery skin shed by serpents.

A related view is that since God had said to the serpent, โ€œhe will crush your head and you will strike his heelโ€ (Genesis 3:15 NIV), that Adam had taken it upon himself to kill the serpent by crushing its head with his heel, and from the skin of the dead serpent God made clothes for Adam and Eve.

This sounds far-fetched, but it is just as speculative as every other view.

We simply don’t know where the skin came from, or what kind of skin it was.

The simple fact of the matter is that the text simply doesnโ€™t say how God made clothes for Adam and Eve. Therefore, we tread on dangerous ground if we claim that Genesis 3:21 contains the first sacrifice in Scripture, for it says nothing of the sort. All it says is that God gave them skin to wear.

We read substitutionary atonement and the sacrificial system into Genesis 3:21 at our own theological peril.

God is z Bible & Theology Topics: Bible and Theology Questions, Bible Study, Genesis 3:21, sacrfiice, substitutionary atonement, When God Pled Guilty

Making Sense of the Bible

By Jeremy Myers
45 Comments

Making Sense of the Bible

Making Sense of the Bible

Making Sense of the Bible is the book I wish I had read 20 years ago. It would have saved me so much headache, heartache, and trouble as I have sought to make sense of how to understand what the Bible teaches about God, and how to reconcile the enemy-loving Jesus with the enemy-killing God in the Old Testament.

In Making Sense of the Bible , Adam Hamilton brings sanity back to the Bible wars. With clear explanation and compelling exhortation, he explains the doctrines of canonization, inspiration, and inerrancy in ways that make sense and liberate the Bible from the theological shackles in which we have bound it. In the end, Hamilton shows that the Bible is much more than what weโ€™ve been led to believe.

making sense of the BibleAs I finished the book, it gave me a new hope that the Bible is for today, and that God can speak to me through the pages of Scripture. Yet it did this by arguing against the traditional doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy, showing that the way these doctrines are taught today was not the way they were understood in the early church, and is not even what Scripture says about itself. Yet this does not mean the Bible not inspired, or that the Bible is hopelessly full of errors and cannot be trusted. Far from it, Adam Hamilton shows how we can trust the Bible, and how the Holy Spirit breathes life into the Bible so that we can understand it for today.

Best of all, this book closed with several chapters on pertinent theological questions for today, such as how to reconcile the Bible and science, how to understand the violence of God in the Old Testament, and how to make sense of what the Bible teaches about women, homosexuality, and the fate of those who have never heard the gospel.

The pastoral heart of Adam Hamilton really comes out in the book, and if you have ever had concerns about โ€œgoing down the slippery slopeโ€ by giving up the belief in the inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture, this book is an excellent source to see how someone can abandon these and still hold on to their faith. In fact, this book helped me see that giving up the traditional understandings of these doctrines can actually help strengthen oneโ€™s faith in God and aid one in following Jesus more closely. I highly recommend Making Sense of the Bible .

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: bible, books, Books I'm Reading, Theology of the Bible

17 Signs Your Ministry May Be Rotting

By Jeremy Myers
12 Comments

17 Signs Your Ministry May Be Rotting

Peter FisherA guest post by Peter Fischer. Peter was a Lutheran Minister for over a decade before leaving ministry to become an Employment Counselor. He lives in Vancouver, Canada and is the Writer/Producer of After the Pulpit

Follow Peter on Twitter or like ATP’s Facebook Page

If you would like to write a Guest Post for the Till He Comes Blog, begin by reading the Guest Blogger Guidelines.

Yuck. Smell that?

Somethingโ€™s off. And itโ€™s not the mushy cantaloupe growing a beard in the back of your fridge. It may well be your, ahem, ministry.

rotten ministryAre you past your pastoral โ€œbest beforeโ€ date? How can you tell?

Here are 17 signs that your ministry may need to be chucked in the compost bin:

1. You only read the bible and pray โ€œprofessionallyโ€

At home, you’re less likely to cozy up with the Book of Daniel than a Daniel Day-Lewis movie. When youโ€™re paid to be spiritual, prayer and study feels a lot like, well, work. And whoโ€™s up for overtime? Not you.

2. When your kids ask you a theological question you tell them to make an appointment with your secretary

Seriously, after a long day wrestling with internet Heilsgeschichte (see #4), the little inquisitors should know better! The last thing you want to do is talk shop with your family. If you can’t let your hair down and be burned out, grumpy and indifferent at home, where can you be?

3. Your holiday plans DON’T include worship

Every Sunday morning while the rest of the world is snoozing, youโ€™re up scouring the web for a childrenโ€™s message or talking to Olโ€™ Edith Barkley who calls to beef about the bulletin or the cookie crumbs in the church hall or how much her bunions hurt. On your rare Sunday off, you want to wake at noon and stuff your face with donuts and the NFL.

4. Your most important function as a preacher is โ€œcut and pasteโ€

Everything that could be said about a text already exists somewhere on the web, right? Youโ€™re not about to reinvent the wheel. Besides, you can use the extra 12 hours for something more productive (see #6).

5. When you visit shut-ins, youโ€™re thrilled to see them fast asleep

But not deadโ€”thatโ€™d be more work. You tip-toe into their room, leave a sticky-note greeting on their night stand, tip-toe out, and chalk it up as a โ€œpastoral visit.โ€

6. Your Google to God ratio is 20:1 at best

Your office hours consist mostly of meditating on last night’s MLB box scores, playing Farmville, orโ€”plug your ears Edithโ€”watching lesbian threesome videos. Yup, something stinks.

7. The custodian spends more time in your office than you

Hey, thinking about your sermon (or where youโ€™ll steal one) while gardening or golfing is
considered โ€œworkโ€ isnโ€™t it?

8. You pray people donโ€™t ask โ€œwhat do you do for a living?โ€

You pray! Especially while waiting at the checkout with a 40 oz bottle of Bombay Sapphire in each hand. Truth is youโ€™re not proud of what youโ€™ve become. Youโ€™re really not. But there it is.

9. Your book allowance and continuing education benefits are used for non-ministry
purposes

That Amazon order of Dan Brown, Stephen King, and Vegas travel guides? File it under “Clergy self care,” right? And somehow youโ€™ll find a way to spin that NASCAR weekend or your bender at Bellagioโ€™s as a ministry expense.

10. When you read the church budget you only think about your salary and benefits

Is there anything else?

11. Your Doctor (or Drug Dealer) is on speed dial

Most days see you burned out, broken and frail. Medicated or self-medicated, you get by with a little help from your friends.

12. Youโ€™re holding your family hostage to your pain

They absorb your stress, heartache, despair. They suffer because of it. It’s not fair. You know this. You hate this. You wish it could change. They do too.

13. You end your sermons early

If you can’t stand to hear another second of your own sermon, you just know your congregation would do cart-wheels in the aisles if you stopped mid-stream. So you do.

14. Youโ€™ve lost the Faith

You’ve kicked your faith to the curb and would love to do the same to your ministry if you didn’t have bills to pay and mouths to feed. So you soldier on preaching with your fingers crossed behind your back.

15. Your ministry skills suck

The reviews are in and they’re as cut and dry as the Red Sea under Mosesโ€™ command. You’re just not meant to be a man/woman of the cloth. You can’t preach, teach, counsel, or care. Itโ€™s alright. You tried (maybe).

16. Youโ€™d resign tomorrow if you won the lottery today

Assuming you play. Put another way, if you could snap your fingers and instantly be in a different career, you would. Put yet another way, you’d leave ministry if you felt there was something else you could do.

17. When asked to “share a few words” you’re oh so tempted to share these:

“That’s all folks!” Drops mic, leaves. Forever.

18. More signs? Share yours in the comments below

leaving ministrySo, maybe your ministry is rotting.

It certainly hasn’t been market-fresh for some time.

You’ve tried the usual thingsโ€”mountain top retreats, “Renew your Ministry Mojo” type conferences, taking a new call in a new localeโ€”but nothing’s taking the stink out.

Is it time to think the unthinkableโ€”chucking your ministry into the compost bin? That’s where it may belong (don’t toss it in the trashโ€”your ministry is not waste).

If so, turn all of your experience in ministry around in the compost bin. Be patient. Allow the bugs and miraculous microbes time to work their wonders. Soon enough, sure enough, your rotting ministry will be transformed into rich, life-giving loamโ€”full of grace and potential.

The world awaits to see what new shoots of life will emerge from you!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: guest post, leaving church, pastoral ministry

Is God Angry at Us? Kind of…

By Jeremy Myers
33 Comments

Is God Angry at Us? Kind of…

After I wrote my post about we human commit evil and then blame God for it, I found this image online. I laughed because it’s true. If God is angry at us, He is angry because we Christians keep blaming Him for everything that goes wrong in the world.

blaming God

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: blaming God, Discipleship, humor, laugh, violence of God

Convictions of Marcus Borg

By Jeremy Myers
10 Comments

Convictions of Marcus Borg

convictions - Marcus borgBack in 1995 I was a 5-point hyper Calvinist. Over the course of the next 3 years, and through studying various passages and reading various books, I dropped belief in the third point of Calvinism: Limited Atonement. But I told myself that I would never drop the other 4 points.

At that time, I read some book by Clark Pinnock (I donโ€™t remember the title) which recounted his exodus from Calvinism. He said that he too began by dropping Limited Atonement, and over the next several years, the other four points dropped out of his theology as well. He then went on to become a defender of inclusivism and open theism.

After reading that book, I wrote a paper called โ€œThe Pinnockio Pathโ€ in which I slammed Clark Pinnock for his theological conclusions. I basically called him a lying (Pinocchio โ€ฆ get it?) heretic. In the paper I said that while Pinnock had rightly dropped the third point of Calvinism, he should have stopped there (like me), for the rest of his theological journey led him into some strange lands and heretical conclusions.

Looking back now, I laugh at myself, for it appears I have traveled nearly the same road as Clark Pinnock. I donโ€™t defend inclusivism or open theism (Yet???), but I no longer consider myself a Calvinist of any shape or size. (I call myself a 2 and 1/2 point Calvinist, because I believe in half of each point: depravity, election, atonement, grace, and the saints).

I have also learned, I hope, to be a little more gracious toward those who have studied longer and traveled further than I have, knowing that I might end up exactly where they are, if I keep studying and following where Jesus leads (to the best of my ability).

All this is an introduction to a book I just finished reading, titled Convictions, by Marcus Borg. It is sort of a theological autobiography, in which Borg recounts his theological journey into what he calls โ€œProgressiveโ€ Christianity, and explains the central ideas and convictions (hence the name of the book) which led him to the central beliefs he now holds.

As I read, I found that strange sense of dรฉjร  vu from when I read Clark Pinnock so many years ago. I recognized that much of the early questions and studies that led Borg to where he now finds himself, are the same questions and studies that I am currently facing. Does that mean that just as I followed the โ€œPinnockio Pathโ€ I am now on the Path of the Borg so that โ€œresistance is futileโ€? (You Star Trek fans will get that.)

It could be. And if so, I accept it, because as I look at Borgโ€™s convictions, I find myself almost there already.

Convictions - Marcus BorgAmong his convictions which Marcus Borg explains in his book is the idea that salvation is about way more than just going to heaven when we die. As I have argued for years, the Gospel is about all of life, not just what happens to us after death. Salvation is not just about how we will live in the hereafter, but also how we live in the here and now.

Another conviction Borg unfolds is the idea that Jesus is the lens by which we must read an interpret all of Scripture. This too is something I have been writing about for two years or more, and am always thrilled when I encounter other writers and scholars saying the same thing.

Then he has a chapter on how the Penal Substitutionary view of the atonement leads to some bad theology about God and our sin. Borg argues that the cross still matters and is central to Christianity, but the cross was not some sort of blood sacrifice as a payment for sin or a strange way of God dealing with His own anger by killing His Son.

There are other chapters as well, all of them good. There was an excellent chapter on Borgโ€™s conviction about peace and non-violence.

The chapter that challenged me most was the chapter about how the Bible is true even though it isnโ€™t literally true. I am really grappling with the doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy right now, and found much of what Borg said to be helpful as he explained how he reads and understand the Bible, even though he doesnโ€™t believe the Bible is inerrant.

This is a great introduction to some of the central beliefs of Borg, and also to many of the central convictions of an ever-widening swath of Christians in the world today.

My only real complaint is that there were not more footnotes in the book. Since I would love to read up more on some of the ideas he presents, I would have liked to see more footnotes about where I can turn to study further, or at least a โ€œRecommended Readingโ€ list in the back.

Whether you agree with where Christianity is headed, or are fighting to hold back the tide, this book provides a good introduction to some of the convictions of progressive Christianity, and will both affirm and challenge many of your own theological convictions. I highly recommend it. You can get a copy of Convictions from Amazon.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: books, Books I'm Reading, marcus borg, Theology - General

Did God Drown the Egyptian Army?

By Jeremy Myers
58 Comments

Did God Drown the Egyptian Army?

The following post contains a proposal about how to understand the violence of God in drowning the Egyptian army. I am publishing it for your input and feedback. I think that maybe what I have presented is a bit of a stretch, but if I am going to maintain some bit of sense of the inerrancy of this text, I can see no other way of reading about the drowning of the Egyptian army in Exodus 14 through the lens of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for His enemies.

In other words, the question I am trying to answer in this post is this: “Why would Jesus die for His enemies on the cross, but God drowns the enemies of Israel in the Red Sea?” Doesn’t something seem “wrong” in that picture? It does to me… This is my attempt to provide a solution…

Please provide your input in the comment section below….

drowning Egyptian Army in Red Sea


One almost feels bad for Pharaoh.

After experiencing the crushing humiliation of the ten plagues which culminated in the anguishing loss of his firstborn son, Pharaoh damages the economy and productivity of Egypt by finally allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt, only to change his mind and chase after them in hot pursuit, which leads to the decimation of his army in the Red Sea.

If there is any lesson at all in the sad tale of Pharaoh in Exodus 1โ€“14, it is that pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

Nevertheless, it seems from various clues in Exodus and other texts in Scripture dealing with the Israelite exodus from Egypt that it was never Godโ€™s intention to break Pharaoh or destroy Egypt. Instead, God wanted Pharaoh to recognize His sovereignty over all things.

If at any time during the ten plagues, Pharaoh had submitted to the will of God and let the Israelites go, the nation of Egypt would not have suffered the way it did. Although it is a popular Christian teaching to say that God sent the plagues with the express purpose of hardening Pharaohโ€™s heart so that God could destroy Pharaoh and the Egyptian army, this way of reading the exodus event is probably not the best and does not reflect the heart and love of Jesus (See Forster and Marston, God’s Strategy in Human History, 63-69).

Despite Godโ€™s warnings to Pharaoh and repeated signs that God wanted Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh continued to disregard Godโ€™s warnings and rush headlong toward his own destruction.

This is not only seen in the events of the ten plagues, but also when Pharaohโ€™s army drowned in the Red Sea.

The Drowning of Pharaoh’s Army in the Red Sea

There is something quite strange about the drowning of Pharaohโ€™s army which needs to be pointed out as we seek to understand the violent descriptions of God in the Old Testament in light of Jesus Christ.

While few would consider the drowning of Pharaohโ€™s army one of the more violent actions of God in the Bibleโ€”for didnโ€™t Pharaoh bring this destruction upon himself?โ€”there are a couple things in the text which helps us understand Godโ€™s involvement in human violence.

God’s Power over Chaos

First, it is important to remember that from an Old Testament Hebrew perspective, the forces of rebellion and chaos arrayed against God were often identified with the sea, and especially with the storms and waves that often rage across the sea. This concept was considered in previous posts as part of the discussion of the flood.

So once again, just as the ten plagues put on display the power by God over the impotence of the various Egyptian deities, so also, the crossing of the Israelites through the waters of the Red Sea showed that God even had dominion and power over the threats of chaos, storms, and destruction that were identified with the sea.

The parting of the Red Sea is not just a miracle to give to the Israelites a path through the waters of death and destruction, but is primarily intended to show the Israelites that not even the raging gods of chaos and destruction can overcome Godโ€™s hand of protection over the Israelites.

However, this does not mean that Godโ€™s hand of protection is without limits.

The Limits to God’s Control

The entrance of the Egyptian army into the path through the Red Sea demonstrates that if a group of people persists in rebelling against God, there comes a time when not even God can hold back the consequences of such rebellion.

Destructive decisions must eventually lead to destruction, even though God has pled with people to turn back and warned them about where their decisions will lead.

Pharaoh had been warned ten times already to let Godโ€™s people go, yet by sending his army after Israel, Pharaoh revealed that he still had not learned. He still could not let go. He still persisted in rebellion against God. The Red Sea crossing was not a trap set by God for Pharaoh, but was a form of deliverance for Godโ€™s people Israel, and Egypt, in their rebellion, tried to use Godโ€™s protection as a method by which to destroy.

As a result, destruction came upon Egypt instead.

God’s Attempt to Deliver Egypt

But it is critical to note that even prior to destruction falling upon the Egyptian army, God attempted to deliver and turn the army back so as to avoid the devastating consequences of their sin.

Red Sea Egyptian ArmyIn Exodus 14:24-25, after the Egyptian army had followed the Israelites into the Red Sea, the text says that God sought to turn the Egyptian army back by bringing trouble upon them. He caused the chariot wheels to fall off, and brought confusion among the ranks.

It appears that through such actions, God was trying to non-violently warn the Egyptian army that destruction was about to fall upon their heads, and they should turn back while they still had time. The Egyptian army received the message loud and clear, and in fact, did attempt to turn back. Exodus 14:25 says that they sought to flee from the face of Israel. They stopped pursuing Israel through the Red Sea and turned back toward the shore from which they had come.

Yet the text takes a troubling turn at this point. One would think that if God was bringing troubles upon the Egyptian army so that they would turn back, that once they did turn back He would let them escape the Red Sea and live. The point was to deliver Israel; not destroy Egypt. And once the Egyptian army turned back, as the text says they did, what reason could God have for drowning the Egyptian army?

And yet that seems to be what occurs in Exodus 14:26. Just as the Egyptians were seeking to flee from the sea (cf. Exodus 14:27), the text says that God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the waters so that they might collapse back down upon the army. And so all the horses and men of Pharaohโ€™s army drowned beneath the waves (Exodus 14:30).

This confusing and somewhat contradictory series of events seems to indicate something going on behind the scenes, which is not fully evident in the text itself.

Behind the Scenes of the Drowning of the Egyptian Army

It seems that while Godโ€™s protection was upon Israel, this protection did not extend to the Egyptian army because of their continued refusal to heed Godโ€™s warnings and submit to Godโ€™s sovereignty.

As such, the Egyptians were in rebellion against God and had departed from Godโ€™s hand of protection. Through the use of the pillar of cloud and fire and by causing confusion among the army ranks when the chariot wheels fell off, God continued to try to keep the army out of the danger of drowning in the Red Sea.

But once Israel had passed fully through the Red Sea, the forces of chaos and destruction could no longer be held back, and they swept away the Egyptian army into death.

But What About God’s Command to Moses in Exodus 14:26?

The command of God to Moses in Exodus 14:26 to allow the waters to fall back upon the heads of the Egyptians can be understood as God taking the blame for that which He did not prevent.

Though God repeatedly warned the Egyptians about their rebellion and tried to get the Egyptians to turn back from the Red Sea crossing, they responded too late and destruction fell upon them, just as it had in the tenth plague.

In Exodus 14:26-31, God takes the blame for this event and bears responsibility for it because it is something that happened on His watch and seemingly by the hand of His prophet, Moses. But really, the fault lies with the Egyptians, and specifically with Pharaoh, who consistently and rebelliously walked in the way of destruction.

โ€œHaving cast off every God-given opportunity to repent, Egypt under Pharaoh succumbed fully to the destroyerโ€™s jurisdictionโ€ (Campbell, Light through the Darkness, 72).

God’s Involvement in Drowning the Egyptian Army

Godโ€™s action in the miraculous Red Sea crossing was not in drowning the Egyptian army, but in holding back the waters for Israel as they passed through on dry land.

Godโ€™s actions were for deliverance and protection first from the invading army and second from the drowning waters. Though God did not desire that the Egyptian army be killed, their refusal to repent and refusal to abide by their promise to let Israel go meant that they had departed from Godโ€™s hand of protection.

So once the Egyptian army stepped foot into the Red Sea, God was not able to hold back the waters any longer. Due to their sin and rebellion, the Egyptian army was no longer under Godโ€™s jurisdiction, but was under that of the destroyer.

The waves of chaos and the forces of the sea swept over the Egyptian army and carried them down into death. The destroyer destroyed the Egyptian army; not God.

What are your thoughts on the drowning of the Egyptian army in Exodus 14? Did God really do it? If so, how do you reconcile the enemy-loving, self-sacrificing Jesus with the enemy-drowning, vengeful God of Exodus 14? 

God of the Old Testament and JesusHow can a God who says "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) be the same God who instructs His people in the Old Testament to kill their enemies?

These are the sorts of questions we discuss and (try to) answer in my online discipleship group. Members of the group can also take ALL of my online courses (Valued at over $1000) at no charge. Learn more here: Join the RedeemingGod.com Discipleship Group I can't wait to hear what you have to say, and how we can help you better understand God and learn to live like Him in this world!

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Egyptian army, Exodus 14, Theology of God, violence of God, When God Pled Guilty

Drunk with Blood: God’s Killings in the Bible

By Jeremy Myers
33 Comments

Drunk with Blood: God’s Killings in the Bible

Drunk with BloodAs I continue to write on how to understand the violence of God in the Old Testament, I am always shocked whenever I run into a Christian who thinks the Bible isnโ€™t violent. I want to ask them if they have read anything outside of the New Testament (Even then, you have the book of Revelation and various teachings on hell).

One of the reasons is it is so critical to not only own up to the violence of Scripture, but also to have an answer for it, is because the violence of God in the Bible is one of the main reasons people today are rejecting Christianity and denying the existence of a good and loving God.

So if you happen to be a Christian who doesnโ€™t know the Bible is violent, OR if you happen to think the violence of God in the Bible is โ€œno big deal,โ€ let me invite you to read  Drunk With Blood by Steve Wells. If you are a fundamentalist Christian, you will probably be offended at the humorous approach Steve Wells takes in his book, Drunk With Blood, by pointing out all the violence of Scripture, but I think that humor is the only way to write a 300-page book detailing all the violence in the Christian Scriptures. If the book didnโ€™t contain humor, by the time we were done reading about all the killings in the Bible, most of us would want to kill ourselves as well. Without the humor, itโ€™s depressing reading.

As for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I have read lists of the violence in Scripture before, but never one so detailed, so thorough, and so entertaining.

I personally donโ€™t think Steve was โ€œfairโ€ with all of the biblical accounts of violence, since he often cuts off quotations in mid-sentence, but with all the clear โ€œunfairnessโ€ in Scripture where actual human lives are getting โ€œcut offโ€ by God, itโ€™s hard to quibble over minor details like that.

Look, if you want to know how the Bible looks to someone who doesnโ€™t read the Bible through โ€œChristian-coloredโ€ glasses, you must read this book. And if you want to know why Christians are often seen as hypocritical and violent, it is because we defend the actions in the Bible as โ€œholy and justโ€ while condemning identical behavior in people of other religions.

As a Christian myself, I believe Drunk With Blood should be mandatory reading for all Christians. 

And hey! Bill Maher recommends it too:

Drunk with Blood

Drunk With Blood shows us what we Christians don’t want to admit, that God is violent! The sooner we own up to this fact, the sooner we can start dealing with it honestly, and trying to understand the Old Testament violence of God in light of Jesus Christ dying on the cross.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bill Maher, books, Books I'm Reading, violence of God, When God Pled Guilty

Redoing My Theology

By Jeremy Myers
22 Comments

Redoing My Theology

I realized the other day why I am having such a struggle writing this book on the violence of God in the Old Testament.

The reason is because the process of grappling with this issue is requiring me to rethink, rewrite, and redo nearly all of my theology. I feel like I am starting all over from the very beginning.

redoing my theology

So far, my study of the violence of God has caused me to rethink these areas of theology:

  • Theology Proper – this one is a given. I am trying to write about God, after all.
  • Bibliology – I have had to raise questions about inspiration and inerrancy
  • Pneumatology – My study of inspiration led me to look deeper into the Spirit’s role in the world and throughout history, especially as a revealer of truth.
  • Christology – I have had to learn to refocus all my theology upon the cross of Jesus Christ, and have come to see Jesus as the center of God’s revelation, the lens by which Scripture is read, and truly the “image of the invisible God.”
  • Soteriology – If God is nonviolent, then what does this say about the violence within the penal substitutionary view of the atonement? Also, what about the eternal violence of hell? I am grappling with both these issues.
  • Ecclesiology – If God is not violent, then what does this mean for the church’s place in the world, especially regarding war and patriotism? Also, what does it mean to follow Jesus nonviolently?
  • Eschatology – Not only do I have to rethink hell (mentioned above), but all my beliefs about the End Times as well. If God is non violent, will the Second Coming of Jesus truly be with violence?
  • Anthropology – My study of nonviolence has required me to realize that if violence does not come at the command of God, then it must come from the heart of man. This raises serious questions about the condition of humanity in general.
  • Angelology – The study of violence has led into deep reading and thinking about the dominions, powers, and authorities of this world, and how these things are related to the destroyer, satan, and demons, and violence in general.

This is why I feel so overwhelmed all the time with this project! It often feels like the ground has opened up beneath me, like all my reading, study, and learning up to this point has been for nothing, and that I am beginning all over again.

your theology might be wrong

So thanks for being patient with me as I “think out loud” on this blog, and as my writing projects get posted in bits and pieces, and as some posts seem to contradict something I wrote earlier. We’re all thinking about this together, and I appreciate your input and you being willing to walk with me through these questions!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Theology - General, violence of God, When God Pled Guilty

You are invited to join the Redeeming Press Book Launch Team!

By Jeremy Myers
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You are invited to join the Redeeming Press Book Launch Team!

free books on book launch teamDid you know I started a publishing company last year? It’s called Redeeming Press.

Almost TWO years ago I ran a survey through this blog about people’s publishing plans (Go see some of the responses here). Since that time, I have incorporated Redeeming Pressย with the state of Oregon, and published 5 books through the company (3 of my own, and two from other authors).

I am currently working with 5 authors to get their books into print within the next year. It is all pretty exciting.

There is still A LOT of work to be done, and I am tweaking the processes I use to publish these books, but the time has come to take the next step in my “master plan” for turning the publishing world upside down!

… Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement. I just want to help new and undiscovered authors get their books into print.

So here is the next step in the process – and here is how YOU can get involved:

I am seeking a Book Launch Team.

Right now, I am limiting it to only 10 people,ย so if you want to be part of the ground floor of this publishing model, I invite you to apply right away to become a member of this team. I will take applications for just a short while, and then will select 10 people from those who apply.

book launch team

What Book Launch Team Members Will Get

If you are accepted onto the Redeeming Press Launch Team, hereโ€™s what youโ€™ll get for your time:

  1. An advanced electronic copy (PDF annd Mobi) of the typeset manuscript of whatever book will be launched.
  2. A free copy of the paperback upon it’s release. Sometimes these will be signed by the author!
  3. Exclusive access to a private Facebook group, where weโ€™ll share promotion ideas and youโ€™ll have direct contact with the book authors.
  4. The opportunity to interact and network with other authors and launch team members.
  5. The ability to make a commission payment of 3%-15% on every book sale you refer.
  6. A special THANK YOU on the Redeeming Press blog and the Till He Comes blog with a link to your website.
  7. A bunch of other freebies I canโ€™t talk about yet (and which will vary depending on which book is being launched).
  8. First opportunity to join the Redeeming Press affiliate program and make money by recommending the book to your friends and social networks.
  9. First access to future Book Launch Teams.

What Iโ€™m Asking from Book Launch Team Members

Here are the requirements to be on the Redeeming Press Book Launch Team:

  1. Have a blog with a minimum Alexa rank of 5,000,000
  2. Have an active Facebook account
  3. Have an active Twitter account
  4. Be willing to write a review of the book on Amazon before the launch week
  5. Be willing to write a review of the book on your blog during the launch week

That’s it!

To apply for membership in the inaugural Redeeming Press Book Launch Team, go fill out the form here.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Blogging, books, Books I'm Reading, free books, publishing

Are Greg Boyd and I arguing the same thing?

By Jeremy Myers
10 Comments

Are Greg Boyd and I arguing the same thing?

A couple weeks ago, I announced that I was giving up on my proposal (…again).

Then Chuck McKnight alerted me to this video interview of Greg Boyd by Nate Cunningham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pBVQmC09Vw&feature=share&t=13m40s

The video should start at the 13:40 mark, but if it doesn’t, that is where the interview begins to talk about Greg Boyd’s proposal on how to understand the violence of God in the Old Testament.

Greg Boyd’s view sounds shockingly similar to the view I am having great difficultly defending from Scripture. I am not at all saying that Greg Boyd is borrowing from me (he doesn’t know me), but it makes me wonder if I was on the right track after all…

Sigh…

06/26/14 UPDATE:

As a follow-up from the comments below, here is a much more in-depth video about Greg Boyd’s proposal (thanks to Soli Deo Gloria):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5CkCGR9YI4&feature=share&t=28m00s

It sounds shockingly similar to what I have been arguing. I promise I have never watched this video before until yesterday (June 25, 2014). The things he is talking about in this video I was writing about over a year ago. But it looks like he gave this Q&A several months before that… So did Greg Boyd steal my book, or did I steal his? Neither!

I was listening to a podcast this morning from 2012 where Raborn Johnson and Steve Sensenig talked about a Theology Rooted in Love, and they were saying many of the same things as well!

You know what I think is going on? This is another example where the Spirit of God moves in the hearts and minds of people all around the world to see similar truths at similar times so that we all work together to teach and learn what the Spirit is saying to the church. It is, as Richard Rohr calls it, the spiritual “symbiosis” between mutual members of the Body of Christ (Things Hidden, 2).

Anyway, watch the videos above, and then let me know what you think in the comments below.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, Greg Boyd, violence of God, When God Pled Guilty

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