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Paul Copan is an analytic philosopher and prolific author who specializes in ethical arguments for God's existence and the reliability of the Old Testament. His book Is God a Moral Monster? has helped thousands of Christians respond to so-called 'evil God' objections raised by new atheists. He brings deep expertise in Ancient Near East context to biblical interpretation.

About This Voice

Key Work: Is God a Moral Monster?

Top 5 Areas of Focus

  1. 1
    Old Testament Ethics: Difficult passages read in their ancient cultural context.
  2. 2
    Moral Argument: Objective morality as evidence a morally perfect God exists.
  3. 3
    Problem of Evil: Careful response to new atheist ethical objections.
  4. 4
    Ancient Near East: Ancient world scholarship illuminates why biblical commands made sense.
  5. 5
    Analytic Philosophy: Rigorous philosophical tools applied to core theological questions.

Popular Videos

Watch Paul Copan

Dr. Paul Copan - Is God a Moral Monster?

Copan argues that atheism can't ground objective morality, showing why evil, rationality, and moral obligation make better sense in a theistic framework, then applies that thinking to difficult Old Testament passages.

Part.1 | Old-Testament Slavery: Fact vs. Fiction

Part 1. Video explains that Old Testament servitude differed from modern slavery, emphasizing human dignity, protections for the vulnerable, limits on power, and laws that redirected Israel toward fairness, equality, and more humane treatment within a broken ancient world.

Part.2 | New-Testament Slavery: Fact vs. Fiction

Copan shows how biblical servitude differed from modern slavery, with laws protecting dignity, limiting masters, and gradually working to humanize and reform treatment within the ancient world's constraints.

Hellgate: The Christian Debate We're Afraid to Have | The Kirk Cameron Show Ep 102

The roundtable explores differing Christian views of hell, contrasting eternal conscious punishment with conditional immortality. Participants emphasize shared beliefs, scriptural authority, and charitable disagreement while examining biblical language, justice, and how fire, death, and judgment should be interpreted.

ACE Interview Paul Copan | Killing of Cannanites in the Old Testament

Copan explains that the command to destroy the Canaanites uses ancient war rhetoric, not literal genocide, arguing the language is hyperbolic and the judgment a measured response to severe, long-term corruption.