Have you ever read the Old Testament and thought to yourself, “Whaaa!!?” “Haaaa?” “No way!” “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Granted, there are many stories in the Old Testament that just don’t jive with our modern/postmodern world, culture, and mindset. To the modernized, Enlightenment thinker, much of it is nonsensical, absurd, and (at first blush) in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus Himself.
Ah but . . .
Paul Copan has just written a book. The book that I’ve been searching for since I’ve been a Christian.
It’s a defense of the God the Old Testament that brings us back to the culture, the day, the time, the mindset, etc. of the Ancient Near East (ANE). And it sheds enormous light on those prickly texts that make us say under our breath, “Lord, why did you do that? Why did you say that?” and other such ramblings.
I’m not going to review the book. I have something better up my sleeve. So stay tuned. Closely tuned to this blog.
In the meantime, I would recommend that you get a copy of the book. And if you have friends who are atheists or agnostics or skeptics as a result of their reading of the Bible, particularly the First (“Old”) Testament, but who are also open to have their views challenged, give them a copy also. 
The book is very good.
Click this link to order it at a discount: Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God
Speaking of books . . . whenever a new book is released, publishers like to have a set of strong blurbs (endorsements) for the book from other authors. It is thought that a good blurb will help a book get into more hands.
(As an aside, some people benightedly think that if a person endorses a book, it means that the author of the book they are endorsing agrees with everything that the endorser has said or written. While this makes no sense whatsoever, it’s what a few people think . . . oddly. But that’s not the case at all. An endorsement simply means that the ONE endorsing the book agrees with the particular BOOK’S message and supports it. Glad we got that cleared up.)
Okay, back to the issue: The question before the house is DO endorsements/blurbs on a book really help a book? Do they provoke readers to obtain and read it when they normally wouldn’t have previously?
Question: Have you ever bought a book because of a blurb/endorsement you read about it? Not a blog post or a review, but an endorsement by another author on the back cover of the book or on a bookstore website like Amazon?
First, I’ve been fascinated with the ancient faith of Jewish history and culture for the last couple of years and reading stuff by Marvin Wilson, David Bivin and others so thanks for the heads up on the book Frank.
Second, I do pay attention to the blurbs. If an author or individual who’s writing, views and / or opinions I respect has positive feedback about a book I will give it a deeper look and possibly purchase it.
Well, not from the back of a book, but definitely from Blog authors! Even if I don’t agree with everything a blogger writes about, his recommendation may cause me to buy it from Amazon. I bought Stewardship of a Mystery because you (Frank) recommended it. (It’s NOT light reading however). I got another book last month (billrudge.org) because a blog by a Methodist pastor mentioned it. I’m also rereading From Eternity to Here because a blogger reminded me how good it was. That’s usually how I buy books, from recommendations. Now, if I like an author, and I’ve read a majority of his books, so I would understand his mindset, I “MAY” buy a book because he recommended it on the back of a book. (I also use Amazon’s “People who liked this also bought” feature.) However, I found you (and T.A Sparks’) thru a website called meatindueseason.com that is no longer avaialable. I have to take out a second mortgage to buy all your recommended books (Good thing I already own about 15 of them)
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Yes – I agree with Michael Young.
T’was how I stumbled across your books and messages loosely through a connection from the “Revolution” book by Mr Barna.
A quick check of the author’s blurbs often determine whether I blab to friends – weak or wise, I dunno. I think a lot of credibility can follow a genuine blurb or two
I have more often NOT bought a book because of a certain person’s endorsement! The books that have impacted me most have been ones without the ringing endorsements from the “impressive” names out there. I see it mostly as a marketing device.
I can’t understand not buying a book because I didn’t like one of the endorsers. This seems to me to reveal a misunderstanding of what endorsements are.
First, Mr. Copan’s book, at least at face value, seems to be a bit of a God-send (literally). My inability to explain or understand the (apparent) discrepancies between the God of the OT and the God of the NT has been a constant source of confustion and frusteration for me in my Christian life, and I have yet to come across a satisfying or comprehensible explanation. I look forward to reading it (that is, once I get through the dozen-or-so other books that have been suggested on this blog).
Secondly, I personally find book endorsements to be monumentally helpful. For instance, there is A LOT of “white noise” out there in terms of Christian scholarship and literature, and I think that if Frank (whom I respect and follow as a Christian author) hadn’t endorsed Mr. Copan’s book, it may have flown under my radar as just another peice of fluff. It is helpful for authors who I respect and agree with to suggest other books that they find helpful, truthful and accurate.
My point is that it is often very reassuring to have scholars from various backgrounds and religous traditions come together to endorse and attest to the accuaracy and truth behind another author’s thesis. Endorsements like these also help in weeding out the volumes of worthless tripe in order to bring the real gems in Christian scholarship to the surface.
Afterall, I only have SO much time to read in my daily life. I need someone to help keep me from wasting my time.
I see endorsements as an affirmation of what I already believe to be worth spending on. Interestingly though, my wife will become interested in a book on Amazons habit of linking other book titles to a particular book she liked.
Not only do endorsements push me over the line sometimes to “spend the money,” but they also have helped keep money in my pocket. Respect or a lack of it motivates me.
In my opinion, a promo blurb gives credibility, quality assurance and/or wow appeal to help the potential buyer decide whether to buy the book.
Where research and endnotes help to determine the quality of a non-fiction book, a book like “The Shack”, while it speaks for itself in fabulousness once read, benefits from a promo blurb to affirm to the potential buyer that the book is money well spent. “The Shack” may not be a great example of benefiting from a promo blurb because it was an instant success through word of mouth and “accidental” media promotion. In any event, a promo blurb (even if a few words) are helpful.
I am glad you came across this book too, Frank! I just got it and look forward to reading it. I have had many conversations about this topic with believers and non-believers. This whole area seems to be a great stubbling block for many people. I know lots of people who are afraid to read the OT for this very reason. If we claim to know, love and live by the Christ revealed in the Bible, including the OT, then we MUST know and embrace His whole character from cover to cover.
As to endorsements, I am very often influenced by them. There is nothing I hate worse than wasting money on a book, so I always look at endorsements to help reassure me that other people I have found to be solid and helpful also found the book I am considering to be solid and helpful.
I definitely read reviews by others who have read a book, and I compare them and I can usually see the point they are trying to make about the book, on websites for booksellers and even the library website. I find them very helpful in decision making. I just finished reading a fictional book that I really enjoyed, it gave the “big picture” of why God designed the world the way he did in simple terms, I think you would really enjoy it: The God Hater by Bill Myers. I would describe it as Avatar meets Tron.
I do rely on the endorsement of others when I’m looking at an author I have not previously read. I also rely on the opinions of people I trust and they do the same with my recommendations.
Absolutely. I consider the endorsements on the back page or in the book as being very helpful for me in making a decision if I will buy and read the book. No only is it important who has endorsed the book, but what does that person say in his endorsement.
With the vast variety of books on the Christian “market”, it’s hard to find a solid book. There is maybe a handful of “Christian authors” I trust and will use my time to read. So when I see a book that sparks my interest and I see that one (or sometimes two) of the authors I trust have endorsed it, then I’m a lot more likely to get that book. So, for me personally, it helps. As long as someone doesn’t start endorsing versions of the Bible, I’m fine. Yes, that actually happened. I bought a NLT the other day and the box said, “Everyone needs an NLT!” –Billy Graham. That make me a little sick to be honest.
On endorsements, I agree with all that Mark wrote in comments.
There dose indeed seem to be a disconnect between many Christians and the God of the Hebrew scriptures. This dose not seem to be true of the early Christians. Has 2000 years of church changed Christians? Why?
I think Book blurbs can be very helpful. There have been several books that I have read based on what was said about them on the back cover.
I don’t think I’ve ever bought a book purely on the strength of an endorsement, but I’m sure that positive endorsements from authors I admire have prompted me to research a book more thoroughly. I’d look for some reviews or see if anyone I know has read the book and then make a final decision based on that.
And I’ll echo Marperor’s point – if an author I’m not familiar with has endorsed a book I’ve enjoyed / appreciated then I might well check out what that author has written.
I don’t think a blurb has ever made me get a book but it has made me check out the author who made the blurb.
I wonder if Paul Copan’ endorsement of the Old Testament will help its sales?
they used to, but after you read so many they sound very contrived, and after a while you notice almost every endorsement sounds like this book will change everything. You can only read that so many times before you stop believing it. I’m sounding cynical but it also seems like there is a lot of mutual back-scratching in the endorsement world.
I see the book has a picture of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac on the cover. That’s probably the biggest example I’ve heard people use who see God in a negative light by reading the OT. Thanks for the resource – I’ve also looked for books that address this and don’t remember ever finding anything that really made a compelling arguement.
Endorsements: Yep. I’ve bought books because of the endorsements. Of course, I was interested in the book to begin with. I don’t go with just any endorsement, but if it is from someone who I’ve read and know a little bit about them, then it helps me decide if the book is worth the investment.
I’ll also note that endorsements like “Whoa! Great book!!!!!!!!” are not very valuable, no matter who it is from. A good endorsement (in my opinion) states what the endorser liked about the book, how it impacted them, etc. These endorsements usually give a summary of the book and its quality in two or three sentences.
I don’t usually buy a book based on endorsements or blurbs on the back of the book. I buy books based upon word-of-mouth endorsements and recommendations from people who know my taste and my “hot topics”…hee hee. I think it can really help a book, though to have recognition by other authors.
Book blurbs have helped on my decision to read particular books before. I like to know that others I look up to have something good to say about what I’m contemplating reading, it gives me confidence and makes me more open minded about the book. That’s not to say I rely solely on what others have said about a book in order for me to read it….but there have been instances where I read a book solely because of the endorsements.
Yeah, I totally have. If I see someone well known (another author especially) who has good things to say about a book, I’ll read it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I wonder how that all happens- will an author mail out his final draft of the book to a bunch of famous people, hoping that they’ll come up with some impressive words to say about it? Do blurb writers ever feel like they have to try and come up with something positive to say even if they thought the book was awful? That is the feeling I’ve had after reading some books…how did _____ manage to find this book “simply invigorating, the best thing I’ve read since the Bible” ? How does that work?
Natasha: Most of the time it’s the publishers who send out mailers and reader copies to other authors requesting a blurb. I get quite a few myself and can’t keep up with them. Once in awhile the request will come from a fellow author, but that usually happens when there’s some sort of a relationship. There are exceptions of course. Such as if someone writes a magnum opus and sends it to those who have written on the same themes. But the former is standard.
Absolutely! Thanks for the question.
Sounds like a great book…I will have to check it out when I get the chance!
I believe that Greg Boyd is currently working on a book with a similar topic. Last I heard, he was calling it “The Crucifixion of the Warrior God.” Have you heard any details about that one? Because I anxiously await it!
As for book blurbs…for me personally, I think they DEFINITELY guide my book browsing. For example, if I had to choose between two books on the same topic, and one had endorsements by authors I knew/respected and one didn’t, I would definitely go for the former. I would even say that blurbs have sometimes moved me to read a book that I probably wouldn’t have looked at otherwise.