Paul Copan

Is God a moral monster? That's the claim of "the new atheists." It's also the title of a fabulous book by Paul Copan, Christian philosopher and apologist. I recommend Copan's book that deals with those Old Testament passages that trouble many people in our culture. But for the busy preacher who wants the essence of Copan's arguments check out this week's preaching skills article. Copan contends, "When we look at [the biblical story of] God's wrath on the nations, we see a God who takes justice seriously—something we lose sight of given our ideals of 'niceness' in Western culture … God isn't wrathful in spite of being love. God is wrathful because God is love."

John W. Otte

Also, check out this sermon on "The Bible's Flawed Superman"—Samson. I love the way Otte gives us the big picture of Samson's life by covering the entire narrative in one sermon. Otte is also a top-notch writer. As Otte concludes in this sermon, "If God can use sinners like Samson to accomplish his work, he can use us, imperfect yet forgiven, fallen yet raised up again, sinners and saints at the same time, to serve him now." That's yet another reason why I love Jesus!

Also, check out these new resources:

• Featured Illustration: Engineers Anonymously Help the World
• Featured Video: Blur: There are times when our lives cause us to not see Jesus clearly. We need to throw off the thing which distract us and blur our vision.
• Featured Sermon: "R-Rated: The Bible's Flawed Superman" by John Otte
• Featured Skills Article: "R-Rated: Preaching the Wrathful Passages of the OT" by Paul Copan

Matt Woodley
Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

P.S. My travels this year allowed me to witness some of the incredible work God is doing around the world. Check out this interview with Christianity Today about my experience!

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.