Skeletons in Gods Closet, Joshua Ryan Bulter
Skeletons in Gods Closet, Joshua Ryan Bulter
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Skeletons in God's Closet
The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, the Hope of Holy War

Author: Joshua Ryan Bulter, Rick McKinley

Narrator: TBD

Unabridged: 10 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/14/2014


Synopsis

Is God a sadistic torturer? Coldhearted judge? Genocidal maniac? Unfortunately, our popular caricatures often make him out to be.God has some skeletons in the closet. At least, that's what many of us fear. "How can a loving God send people to hell?" "Isn't it arrogant to believe Jesus is the only way to God?" "What is up with holy war in the Old Testament?" These are difficult questions that our family, our friends, our culture--even we ourselves--are asking. The Skeletons in God's Closet pulls these skeletons out of the closet to show that they were never really skeletons at all--but part of the good news that God is good and coming to redeem his world.Hell is not an "underground torture chamber" God creates to torture sinners, but a destructive power we unleash that God has promised to redeem his world from--it represents an extravagant act of mercy. Judgment is not "churchgoers go to heaven, everyone else goes to hell," but God coming to raise humanity from death and set his world right by calling things out as they really are--and the results are a shocking surprise. Holy war is not "the strong using God to justify their conquest of the weak," but God arising on behalf of the weak when the tyranny of the strong has raged for far too long--he is the hope of the world.Mercy. Surprise. Hope.Not what we usually think.Ultimately, The Skeletons in God's Closet uses our toughest questions to provoke paradigm shifts in how we understand our faith as a whole: we'll pull the "skeletons out of God's closet" to reveal they were never really skeletons at all. We'll grapple with the "skeletons in the ground" of tragedy, injustice and death in our world--to explore resurrection as God's good answer. Most importantly, we'll affirm that God is good "in his very bones"--not just in what he does but in who he is.This is a book that sings loudly, boldly and clearly: God is good and coming to redeem his world.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on August 10, 2017

I find it hard to assign a starred rating to this book. Some parts were certainly five-star quality. But there other parts that, because of theological problems, bring the rating down considerably. I couldn't recommend this book without some serious qualifications. First, the good: Butler takes three......more

Goodreads review by Judy on October 16, 2014

A special thank you to Thomas Nelson--W Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (nice cover) The Skeletons in God’s Closet, The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, the Hope of Holy Waris an insightful and thought-provoking book, packed with tough questions, fresh i......more

Goodreads review by James on June 21, 2018

I would love to wrestle through this book chapter-by-chapter with some Christian friends. There's so much thought-provoking stuff in here! Section 1 ("How can a loving God send people to Hell?") was AMAZING. Seriously incredible. "Paradigm-shifting" is a descriptor so commonly given to books that I u......more

Goodreads review by Matt on November 20, 2018

My goodness this was a stimulating read. Some things I disagreed with, and others I would explain differently, but overall it’s a masterclass in pastoral apologetics for a secular age. Butler is not preaching to saints so much as seeking to persuade skeptics. I think Derek Rishmawy is right: “Skelet......more

Goodreads review by Lydia on March 16, 2022

I think this author is brilliant, and handled really tough topics gracefully and Biblically. In the middle of the book there were a couple chapters that had some concepts I have hesitations to, but overall I thought it was incredible. I would definitely read more from Joshua.......more