Is God a Moral Monster? ch. 11

This was a helpful chapter by addressing the issues of polygamy, concubines, and bride-price. Copan helps the reader to understand the centrality of children and family in ANE culture while continuing to remind us of the tension between God's ideal and his willingness to allow cultural departures from that ideal in order to move the people of God closer to His ideal. I appreciate Copan's quote "safety nets shouldn't become hammocks..." pointing to the people's willingness to settle for less than ideal. Copan also introduces the concept of case law, which was helpful in understanding these ancient practices and laws.