This book exceeded my expectations in many ways. It really made me think and challenged my worldview in the sense of how I interpret the Bible and think of God. I didn't necessarily agree with everything the author wrote, but that's okay. It gave me a lot to chew on, and I am grateful for that. My favorite chapter was chapter 1. It went into how the culture of the ancient near east (ANE) influenced the early Old Testament writers. While some stories in the Old Testament may seem barbaric by our modern sensibilities, in light of other ANE customs, they were actually very progressive and merciful (by comparison, at least). Fleischer poses the argument that much of the "violence" in the Old Testament is not necessarily what God wants or even representative of God's true nature. Rather, God was using baby steps--or as Fleischer labels incremental ethical revelation--to educate ancient man. Just like how a first-world missionary in a third-world tribe wouldn't start pointing out everything wrong but would instead tolerate some things for a bit until the natives are mature enough for more change...God did the same with ancient man. The rest of the book is really good theologically, too, but I have to say the first chapter really hit me the most. Since this book is written by a Christian, there are many New Testament references included alongside the Old Testament ideas.
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