The Bad News Bible

Most people think they know what's in the Bible, or at least what kind of material it contains. Most of them are wrong: they are familiar only with a few church-approved texts, and are astounded not just at how awful God is in the Old Testament, but also at how less than perfect his son is in the New. As David Voas demonstrates in The Bad News Bible: The New Testament, Jesus fails to live up to his Good Shepherd reputation, while God the Father, who has already spoiled his image in the Old Testament, merely stays aloof. The promise of a heavenly afterlife comes from Paul, as does the rule that men have authority over women. Judgment Day is expected to come at any moment, and the New Testament writers seem far more eager to burn sinners than to forgive them.