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Full Description
God and the First Families offers a novel exploration of God's role as a parent in the book of Genesis. Compellingly, author Stephen Spector introduces Americans' four main perceptions of God and their four most common styles of parenting as lenses through which we can reckon with God's own methods of parenting in the first biblical book.
God begins as an authoritarian parent who demands obedience and submission to authority, but shifts in striking ways. Next, God's parenting seems entirely benevolent. Stunningly, God reverts to authoritarianism during the near sacrifice of Isaac—but then invents a new parenting style focused on guiding the characters' moral and emotional growth. Many psychologists consider this the most successful childrearing method. Genesis reached that conclusion two and a half millennia ago!
Throughout, Spector engages with familiar stories—sibling rivalries, family ruptures, traumas—from unexpected angles. He dramatizes how parental love in Genesis builds resilience against trauma, another idea validated by modern psychology. Surviving trauma, healing from parental favoritism, repairing broken relationships, earning forgiveness, possibly even reconciling after injury—Genesis offers wisdom on all.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Parenting Insights from across Millennia
1. Parenting Styles and Varieties of Belief in God
2. The Authoritarian Language of Creation and Adam's Love Story
3. Crime and Authoritarian Punishment in Eden
4. The Cain and Abel Murder Mystery
5. The Flood and the Limits of Authoritarianism
6. Abraham's Righteousness and Fear
7. Abraham's Doubt and God's Benevolence
8. Sarah's Laughter, Abraham's Chutzpah, and God's Compassion for the Dispossessed
9. God's Reversion to Authoritarianism and Isaac's Trauma
10. Recovery from Loss
11. Rebekah as a Wife and Mother
12. Parental Favoritism and Sibling Rivalry in the Story of Jacob and Esau
13. The Emergence of the Authoritative God
14. Jacob Confronts an Authoritarian Father
15. Wrestling with an Angel as a Turning Point for Jacob and for God
16. Jacob's Favoritism and Parental Negligence
17. Joseph and the Consequences of Favoritism
18. Sense and Sexuality in the Story of Tamar
19. Authoritative Parenting Starts to Work
20. Healing a Dysfunctional Family
21. Jacob's Redemption, the Brothers' Distrust, and Joseph's Lovingkindness
Conclusion: Parenting, Trauma, Healing, Love, and Redemption
Notes
Bibliography
Appendix: Genesis Through the Lens of Trauma Theory
Index
