Book Review: Bad Dads of the Bible

Roland C. Warren is the former head of the National Fatherhood Initiative, which makes his insight into fatherhood important to read. This book is meant to be devotional level, but provides some very clear teachings for those who are dads and claim to be followers of God.

The book shares the stories of certain men from Scripture–some of whom are heroes of faith and others who are not–who all had great weaknesses in the area of being a dad. From David’s household in the palace to Lot’s movement toward Sodom, eight different Biblical narratives are used as the basis for the chapters.

I like the idea behind this book, but I must admit I was disappointed in the execution. While each chapter is named after the Biblical man and his “mistake,” very little of the chapter speaks of that Bible story. That chapters seemed to speak more toward the major problem, then sprinkle in a quick recap of the Bible. At times, though thankfully not often, the Biblical narrative seemed to be stretched a bit to prove a point.

The book ends with a long chapter, but one that is reassuring. Warren shares “6 Things A Dad Must Do to be a Good Father.” In my opinion, this long chapter is the best part of the book, and could be developed into a sermon, class, or even a series of discussions.

The volume is a quick read, and does provide some helpful insights that fathers will gain from. It’s not for everyone, but I’m glad I read it.

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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for this review. I was not required to give a positive review.