What Kind of God?: Collected Essays of Terence E. Fretheim

by Terence E. Fretheim, Michael J. Chan, Brent A. Strawn

Terence E. Fretheim has long been a leading voice in Old Testament theology. In this volume, thirty of his classic studies have been gathered together for the first time under the rubrics “God and the World”, “God and Suffering”, “God, Wrath, and Divine Violence”, “God and the Pentateuch”, “God and the Prophets”, and “God and the Church’s Book”. Here readers can find a compelling answer to the question that has motivated Fretheim’s work for more than forty years―namely, what kind of God is the God of Scripture? The studies are introduced by a critical overview of Fretheim’s career and theology by the editors and a retrospective by Fretheim himself.

Genres: Theology

432 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2015

Reviews

[Susan Gemperline · Rating 5 out of 5]

"[T]he deeper one probes into the mystery of God, the more mysterious and interesting God becomes. In other words, the more you know about God, the more you know you don't know." p.20
This collection of essays written by Terence Fretheim over several decades brings together much of his thoughts on the kind of God revealed in the Old Testament. Many of the ideas presented in these essays can be found given fuller treatment in his many excellent books. The advantage of this book is that these essays, which may not be easily accessible, can be found in one volume.
I have been a fan of Fretheim's writing and Old Testament creational-relational theology for some time now. I have read many of his books. That being said, this is not an easily read book. Each essay is so full of such deep, scholarly insight that it requires time for thought and meditation. In the end, when one finishes this book one finds that the answer to "What Kind of God?" may be different than when one began reading.
This book is highly recommended for graduate theology and seminary students!

[Nathan Ellzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fretheim's work is simply outstanding. He dares to take the Hebrew Bible at its word. That is to say, he allows the text to speak for itself, working (tirelessly) to set aside preconceptions - particularly about God's nature. What he finds - and shares with us - is a God who desires relationship and is willing to take risks by sharing his authority - even to risk suffering (pre-Christ). This is a fantastic collection of essay. I should issue the standard qualification that I do not agree with everything he says (an overused saying, to say the least). But he has challenged me to rethink how I read the text, which I imagine was exactly his point.