Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?
Overview
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.”
Key Features
- Addresses common criticisms of Paul and his writings
- Explains how Paul challenged cultural and theological issues of both his time and modern times
- Analyzes Paul from an acessible and fair point of view
Contents
- Introduction: The Problems with Paul
- Paul Was Kind of a Jerk
- Paul Was a Killjoy
- Paul Was a Racist
- Paul Supported Slavery
- Paul Was a Chauvinist
- Paul Was Homophobic
- Paul Was a Hypocrite
- Paul Twisted Scripture
- Conclusion: Should We Be Following Paul?
Top Highlights
“We thought Paul was arrogant, but others believed he was a misogynist and that his view of women was responsible for generations of gender inequality and the patriarchal subjugation of wives and daughters. We thought he was insensitive, but others considered him a racist and anti-Semite.” (Pages 13–14)
“How arrogant it seems that Paul would be so unwilling to submit himself to the teaching of the apostles when others did—and on the grounds that he didn’t have to because he was an apostle too!” (Page 27)
“places, Paul interpreted the Old Testament much as we do. For most of Paul’s exegesis, we are not that far apart.” (Page 183)
“Boasting strikes us as rude, but Paul is using an intentional and culturally familiar” (Pages 34–35)
“Yes, he boasted of his apostleship, but he did so defending his gospel, not his pride” (Page 36)
Praise for the Print Edition
Paul spent much of his ministry under attack. Nearly two thousand years later, the arrows are still flying. Patriarchal, racist, braggadocious, mercurial, the dark genius who corrupted the pure message of Jesus—he's been accused of it all. Even Christians have a tendency to look askance at the brash apostle when his words grate on our modern sensibilities. Paul Behaving Badly is a defense of the apostle that strikes just the right tone. Richards and O’Brien account for the understandable objections people have to Paul’s writings while gently correcting misunderstandings. This learned and readable work will resonate with fans and foes of the embattled apostle and illuminate Paul’s passion for the gospel and the Christ it proclaims. I can’t imagine a more needed book on a more important topic.
—Drew Dyck, senior editor, CTpastors.com, author of Yawning at Tigers
Was Paul a racist? A sexist? A homophobe? Just kind of a jerk? Modern readers are often offended by the apostle's strong words and apparently politically incorrect views. Richards and O'Brien do not sugarcoat or shy away from these issues. Instead, 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. The result is a deeper understanding of the radical impact of the gospel that Paul preached. This is a great book, full of clarity, nuance, and insight.
—Mark L. Strauss, university professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary, San Diego, CA
I often hear people say, ‘The apostle Paul was a sexist, homophobic bigot, so who cares what he thinks?’ Well, Randy Richards and Brandon O’Brien care what he thinks, and they want to make sure that we get a proper picture of Paul, warts and all! They show that while Paul is much maligned, he is little understood, and they act like an attorney cross-examining the controversial apostle on scintillating topics like slavery, women, and homosexuality to get to the bottom of the issues. This is an honest grappling with one of the most controversial figures of Western religious history. Whether you love Paul or despise him, you’ll never see him the same way again after reading this book!
—Michael F. Bird, lecturer in theology, Ridley College, Melbourne
- Title: Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?
- Authors: E. Randolph Richards, Brandon J. O'Brien
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Pages: 223
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Paul, the Apostle, Saint › Theology; Bible. N.T. Epistles of Paul › Criticism, interpretation, etc
- ISBNs: 9780830873326, 9780830844722, 0830873325, 0830844724
- Resource ID: LLS:PLBHVNGCHVNSJRK
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:13:55Z
About the Authors
Randolph Richards (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a popular speaker and has authored and coauthored dozens of books and articles, including Paul Behaving Badly, A Little Book for New Bible Scholars, Rediscovering Jesus, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, Rediscovering Paul, The Story of Israel, and Paul and First-Century Letter Writing.
Early on in their ministry he and his wife Stacia were appointed as missionaries to east Indonesia, where he taught for eight years at an Indonesian seminary. Missions remain on the hearts of Randy and Stacia. Randy leads mission trips and conducts missionary training workshops and regularly leads tours of the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He has served as interim pastor of numerous churches and is currently a teaching pastor. He and Stacia reside in Palm Beach, Florida.
Brandon J. O’Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is assistant professor of Christian theology at Ouachita Baptist University and director of OBU at New Life Church in Conway, Arkansas. He is coauthor, with E. Randolph Richards, of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible and Paul Behaving Badly, as well as the author of The Strategically Small Church. A senior editor for Leadership Journal, O’Brien has published in Christianity Today, Relevant, and the Out of Ur blog, and has been interviewed by and quoted in USA Today and other national newspapers.