Godly Jealousy: A Theology of Intolerant Love

by Erik Thoennes

Divine jealousy plays a central role in God's activities throughout human history yet it is virtually ignored among those in the church today. Christians desire leaders who are dynamic, educated, and entertaining, but it is highly unlikely you will ever see "jealous" as one of the desired qualities of leaders within the church. However, jealousy is one of the primary attributes of the great leaders in the bible. As human jealousy is seldom uncontaminated with sin, it tends only to be understood as a negative emotion. However, the Bible tells us that God is a jealous God, and Erik Thoennes offers us unique insights into Godly jealousy as taught in Scripture, and also looks closely at biblical leaders who displayed Godly human jealousy. Thoennes masterfully draws ethical and theological implications from godly jealousy for the 21st Century. This book is a must read for anyone who is concerned with character development and who seeks to know the central values needed in the church today.

Genres: Theology

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who have been sucked into the new Oprah school of religion, this book answers a lot of her questions concerning God's jealousy, and as a result inadvertently breaks down the rest of her religious foundation.

[h.f. · Rating 5 out of 5]

i say this a lot, but who am i to give this less than 5 stars? a well-researched (the sheer amount of footnotes alone is extremely impressive), thought out, and enormously helpful book on an attribute of God that gets overlooked and/or intentionally ignored. i never thought that studying God’s jealously would answer some of my questions or solidify certain concepts in my mind, but alas— it did! “Godly Jealously” gives clear and important distinctions on what being jealous for God’s honor looks like for a Christian today, and how that will look different for our life versus for someone like Phineas in the Old Testament. it outlines how God’s jealously and love are not opposed to each other, but actually compliment and support one another. my copy is littered with many iterations of “help me”, “help them”, or “help us”. i never pictured myself saying this, but i am glad that God is jealous for His people, that He is jealous for my fidelity. this book made me desire a deeper sense of godly jealously in my own heart and to look for people who are jealous for God’s honor. i have much to learn.

this was also read for class.

[Timothy Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biblical theologians need to be better at systematic theology in a book like this.

[BJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great impassioned book on a neglected attribute of God.