Flood and Fury - by Matthew J Lynch (Paperback)

About the Book

Without softening or ignoring the most troubling realities of the text, Matthew Lynch addresses violence related to misogyny, racism, and nationalism in the Old Testament, yielding surprising insights into the goodness and mercy of God.

Book Synopsis

Old Testament violence proves one of the most troubling topics in the Bible. Without softening or ignoring the most troubling realities of the text, Old Testament scholar Matthew Lynch addresses violence related to misogyny, racism, and nationalism in the Old Testament, yielding surprising insights into the goodness and mercy of God.

Review Quotes

"Flood and Fury helps Christians to see what violence is doing in their Scriptures-even in the mouth of Jesus! Lynch helps us to navigate the Bible's grammar of violence as people who are thankfully estranged from systemic and brute use of force. Like few scholars can, Lynch plainly maps how the New Testament authors engage the violence of the Old Testament as fruitful for the coming kingdom. Of the myriad books on violence in Scripture, Lynch marries his scholarly work with his winsome writing so that the church can properly wrestle with what the biblical texts say about human and divine violence."

"In this volume, Matthew Lynch takes the reader on a journey of discovery that involves careful and scholarly engagement with the text, helpful illustrations, and his own honest and personal perspectives. Matt takes up his own challenge: to wrestle with and go deeper into the dark and impenetrable places of Scriptures. His insightful and wise readings of the texts unearth more of their place and purpose within the grand narrative of salvation while, perhaps also surprisingly, demonstrating how these stories are able to reveal more of the redemptive, relational, and merciful character of God. Readers searching for answers will be both hugely relieved and extremely grateful to find this book."

"Matt Lynch is an able guide to these difficult Old Testament texts. He carefully unravels the caricatures of these texts to make way for a faithful alternative. Lynch weaves personal stories with close readings of biblical texts to offer fresh perspective. I heartily recommend his work!"

"Matt Lynch writes for a popular audience without dumbing down the problem of violence or providing pat answers. He invites readers to contextualize scriptural texts within a large vision of creation's shalom, the hermeneutics of reading biblical narratives alongside historical questions, and the whole canon's revelation of God's good character. Lynch's work travels new and illuminating ground. For those troubled by these texts, Lynch models pastorally honest and attentive reading that contributes to a richer understanding of the biblical narrative, God's good design for his creation, and the ways these texts intersect with present-day realities. A recommended read!"

"Matthew Lynch's Flood and Fury is a shrewd book: modest but not timid, careful but not skittish, demanding but not onerous. From start to finish, Lynch faces, unflinchingly, the hardest, ugliest parts of the Scriptures. He sees how some of the questions these texts raise for us simply cannot be answered, at least not as we expect. But he also shows us why we can and should remain at the table, troubled as we are-because our Host, mysterious as he is, is unwaveringly good and the wisest of teachers."

"The concerns this book addresses are not new, but the perspective of its author and this cultural moment are. Flood and Fury addresses these age-old problems with sensitivity to the unique questions of a new generation. And most importantly, Lynch does this by inviting his readers to face these issues head-on-acknowledging the struggle-all the while considering some of Scripture's most challenging texts with care, literary sophistication, and confidence in the good God we encounter there."

"The Bible contains violence. This book questions various interpretations of biblical violence and its possible influence on Christian doctrine and practice. Warfare, racism, and gender discrimination have been justified using the Bible, but the Bible has also sparked significant movements for individual and collective freedom, inclusiveness, and peace. At the heart of Dr. Lynch's work is an essential question regarding the biblical conception of God and how we can think about God's love, justice, and peace in the midst of it all. The insightful proposals in this book will be helpful for both teachers and students in search of understanding."

"This book sees the flood and the conquest stories not simply as problems to be solved but instead as opportunities to deepen our faith, challenge our contemporary cultural expectations, and even seek God's blessing. It presents a biblical theology of violence rooted in a detailed study of the motif of violence in Genesis 1-11 as well as in the book of Joshua. But there is a different way of seeing these texts. The book presents a legitimate approach that enhances our understanding and presents us with new questions. It is a new adventure of learning. I recommend this provocative and well-informed book."

"Wow, this is the most helpful book on the Bible I've read in a long time. Matthew Lynch is easily among the brightest, most insightful, best read-and funniest-biblical scholars working today. In his latest book, he shows he is also among the wisest. Yes, violence in the Bible is a 'wicked problem' that admits of no easy solution (see chapter fifteen), but with Lynch lighting the way, readers will emerge wiser. Buy a copy immediately and then buy a case to share among your friends. They need a copy-we all do."

"Flood and Fury helps Christians to see what violence is doing in their Scriptures--even in the mouth of Jesus! Lynch helps us to navigate the Bible's grammar of violence as people who are thankfully estranged from systemic and brute use of force. Like few scholars can, Lynch plainly maps how the New Testament authors engage the violence of the Old Testament as fruitful for the coming kingdom. Of the myriad books on violence in Scripture, Lynch marries his scholarly work with his winsome writing so that the church can properly wrestle with what the biblical texts say about human and divine violence."

--Dru Johnson, associate professor of biblical studies at The King's College

About the Author

Matthew J. Lynch is associate professor of Old Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He is the author of First Isaiah and the Disappearance of the Gods, Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Literary and Cultural Study, and Monotheism and Institutions in the Book of Chronicles: Temple, Priesthood, and Kingship in Post-Exilic Perspective. He is the co-founder of the OnScript podcast, a podcast focused on providing engaging conversations on Bible and theology.