This volume is a historical account of 25 biblical crimes, the people involved, the consequences of their actions, the lessons learned, and a comparison of punishments then and now.

Sometimes, we make the Bible too tidy for junior high-age students. This book aims to show how God works in the ugly, messy world. Through each criminal that is described, readers are pointed to Christ and the salvation found through Him.

The Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes contains over 2,000 thematic articles with an explanation of the theme, key Bible references, and cross-references to related themes. --From publisher's description.

Jael killed Sisera by hammering a tent stake into his head. Jezebel was thrown out a window, trampled, and attacked by dogs. Judas hanged himself.

In this trenchant examination of Christianity’s dark side, a criminologist argues persuasively that high rates of violent crime in the United States can be correlated with Christian conservative attitudes, especially in regard to social mores and politics. Of particular concern is “Christian nationalism.” Supporters of this movement argue that America was founded as a Christian nation and they work to install their fundamentalist brand of Christianity as the dominant factor in American political and social life. Far from being a fanatic outlier sect, this group is shown to have significant cultural influence, especially in the American South. Not coincidentally, the author suggests, the South also has the highest homicide rates. Noting the violent biblical passages often cited by religious conservatives, their sense of righteousness, their dogmatic mindset that tolerates no dissent, and their support for harshly punitive measures toward “sinners,” Peterson Sparks shows that their worldview is the ideal seedbed for violence. Not only does this mindset make violent reactions in interpersonal conflicts more likely, the author says, but it exacerbates the problems of the criminal justice system by advocating policies that create high incarceration rates. The author also devotes particular attention to the victimization of women, children, and LGBT people, which follows from this rigid belief system. While not resorting to a blanket condemnation of Christianity or religion as a whole, Peterson Sparks issues a wake-up call regarding conservative Christianity’s toxic mixture of fundamentalism, authoritarian politics, patriotism, and retributory justice.

Criminals in the House of God. Criminals are commonly found in police cells, in the prisons, in courts, in the streets or generally in dark and unholy places. But you may be surprised to know that there are actually criminals in the house of God. The state of the church these days is very lamentable. God is going to clean His house and any unprofitable tree shall be uprooted. A certain pastor had his congregation weighed on the scale by an angel of God. Out of 2,900 people in the church only 80 were ready for heaven. It will be very sad if the trumpet sounds!

Thrills Christians about their eternal future, and shows how that future changes their present. Our view of the future affects how we feel and act in the present. Stephen Witmer excites us about where the world is heading, gives certainty about where we as individuals are heading, and thrills us about how eternity really does change everything in our daily lives. If you are worried about your future... or if your future doesn't seem to make any difference to your now... or if you simply want to get more excited about where you will spend eternity... read this book!