But What about God’s Wrath? The Compelling Love Story of Divine Anger

by Kevin Paul Kinghorn; Stephen Travis

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2019

Overview

How can a loving God also be a God of wrath?

God’s wrath stands out in the minds of many as the single most puzzling aspect of God’s character. Often Christians who would like to reconcile divine love with divine wrath—while remaining faithful to the Bible—can’t figure out how to do so. Kevin Kinghorn and Stephen Travis offer a way forward.

Using a philosophically informed line of argument and a careful study of the relevant biblical texts, Kinghorn and Travis show how these two aspects of God’s character can be reconciled. Often God’s wrath is viewed as an expression of holiness or justice, with the implicit assumption that God’s just response to people is incompatible with a loving response. The authors instead view God’s love as a strictly essential divine attribute, with justice as a derivative of love.

But What about God’s Wrath? will appeal to Christians eager to engage this puzzle more deeply, more philosophically, and more biblically, beyond pat answers and devotional platitudes.

Key Features

• Explores the issue philosophically and biblically
• Examines God’s love as a strictly essential divine attribute
• Shows how attributes of love and wrath can be reconciled

Contents

• Wrath as a Pattern of Action
• The Trinity as Benevolent by Nature
• Does Love Always Seek Our Flourishing?
• Love in Relation to Justice, Holiness, and Glory
• Wrath as God Pressing the Truth Upon Us
• Truth as God’s Response to Sin and Self-Deception
• The Pain of Truth as Our Greatest Pain
• The Connection Between Wrath and Sanctification

Top Highlights

“The irony is that the biblical use of the term is specifically not intended for the context of abstract, academic discussions. References to God’s wrath are meant to convey the intensity of God’s reaction to real-life situations. They convey God’s rage, his fury, as he relates to humans in our world, made messy by injustice, oppression, and human suffering.” (Page 4)

“What purpose, or goal, is God seeking to achieve when he commits to the pattern of action we associate with God’s wrath” (Page 19)

“It seems impossible to imagine how we could understand a revelation from God of his personal interest in us, if emotional language were not part of that revelation. Wrath is part of the emotional language used in the Bible to convey the care God has for us.” (Page 5)

“We sometimes refer to it as righteous anger. A virtuous response to instances of injustice and oppression should include righteous anger.” (Page 5)

“This is language one naturally associates with the rising and falling of an emotion. Wrath in these contexts might be thought of as a synonym for ‘feeling angry.’” (Page 3)

Praise for the Print Edition

In this outstanding book, Kinghorn and Travis thoroughly refute the common misconception that God’s wrath competes with God’s love. This insightful and illuminating treatment of divine wrath is philosophically astute and biblically informed. It makes a lucid and compelling case that God’s wrath is a function of God’s love—always motivated by God’s concern for the long-term well-being of others.

—John C. Peckham, professor of theology and Christian philosophy, Andrews University, author of The Love of God: A Canonical Model

In an era that diminishes or altogether dismisses divine wrath and judgment—a phenomenon found even within the church—Kinghorn and Travis have written a much-needed book on the subject. They point out that wrath is not a central attribute of God but is actually an expression of divine love, which is directed toward the well-being and flourishing of humans. The book is thoughtful, wise, and biblically informed. I enthusiastically recommend it!

—Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and coauthor of An Introduction to Biblical Ethics

Product Details

• Title: But What about God’s Wrath? The Compelling Love Story of Divine Anger
• Author: Kevin Kinghorn and Stephen Travis
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 160
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Theology

About Kevin Kinghorn

Kevin Kinghorn (DPhil, University of Oxford) is a professor of philosophy and religion at Asbury Theological Seminary where he teaches graduate courses in philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, and theology. He is the author of The Decision of Faith: Can Christian Beliefs Be Freely Chosen? and A Framework for the Good. He lives in Mount Streling, Kentucky with his wife, Anna, and their two children.

Sample Pages from But What about God’s Wrath? The Compelling Love Story of Divine Anger