God Behaving Badly by David T Lamb

Is the God of the Old Testament angry, sexist, and racist? If you've ever wondered those things here's a book for you! Anyone who has spent some time reading the Old Testament knows there are some parts in there that make us confused, uncomfortable, or both. David Lamb does a good job in this book responding to some of those questions, and he manages to do it in a way that the average Christian reader could enjoy. He moves at a brisk pace and doesn't get too sophisticated.

However, that strength (brisk and non-sophisticated) could be a weakness if you're looking for a fuller answer to one of your questions. For example, I was hoping he would dig deep into why God commanded the Israelites to kill all the Canaanites in the book of Joshua, but he only briefly touches on it and then moves on to another topic. So I would only recommend this book to someone looking for introductory answers to these questions, not to someone looking to dig deep into any one topic.

I'll also note that he's coming from a conservative view: he defends everything the Bible says God does or commands in the Old Testament. (A "progressive" view would say that God didn't actually want the Israelites to commit any violence. The violence in the Old Testament reflects the violent culture of Ancient Israel, not God's desire.)