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Paul Behaving Badly

Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?

by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien

The apostle Paul was kind of a jerk. He was arrogant and stubborn. He called his opponents derogatory, racist names. He legitimized slavery and silenced women. He was a moralistic, homophobic killjoy who imposed his narrow religious views on others. Or was he? Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien explore the complicated persona and teachings of the apostle Paul. Unpacking his personal history and cultural context, they show how Paul both offended Roman perspectives and scandalized Jewish sensibilities. His vision of Christian faith was deeply disturbing to those in his day and remains so in ours. Paul behaved badly, but not just in the ways we might think. Take another look at Paul and see why this "worst of sinners" dares to say, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." | read more»

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About the Book and Authors

The apostle Paul was kind of a jerk. He was arrogant and stubborn. He called his opponents derogatory, racist names. He legitimized slavery and silenced women. He was a moralistic, homophobic killjoy who imposed his narrow religious views on others. Or was he? | read more »

Paul Was the Go-To Guy to Stop the Fun: Read an Excerpt

"This is one of those problems with Paul that becomes a problem for the entire church... Anecdotally it seems to us that far more abandon the faith because they view the church as prudish." | read more »

Praise for "Paul Behaving Badly"

"They dig deep into the first-century world to understand Paul on his own terms and in terms of the cultures in which he lived." —Mark L. Strauss, university professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary, San Diego | read more »

The Paradox of Paul

Paul regularly offended Jewish sensibilities and Roman sensibilities, modern sensibilities and ancient sensibilities—sometimes all at once! It takes a special gift to offend everyone for different reasons. | read more »

Paul for President?

When news broke about an audio recording of presidential candidate Donald Trump's "locker room" talk, my mind went to a strange place: the apostle Paul. | read more »

Navigating an Unfriendly Empire

Christian values are no longer part and parcel of American culture. So, where do we go from here? | read more »

Paul and His Passionate Priorities: A Q&A with E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien

"We suspect Paul was a Type A, driven person." | read more »
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