Sins of the father: Wrestling with Abraham's parenting skills
Article Scripture and Theology The suspect actions of Abraham
should give us pause about what makes him one of the heroes of
the Bible.  By anonimus ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons  Most of us grew up mentally supplying a retroactive
halo to the protagonists in the Bible. Churches have been named
for the "proto-saints," as holy ones of the Old Testament are
called. Michelangelo comfortably added prophets' likenesses to
the Sistine ceiling as if their sanctity was beyond reproach.
I'm not suggesting reproach is a better response to those who
embraced God's offer to participate in salvation history. It's a
tough gig, as anyone who dares to say "yes" when God comes
calling can vouch.  That halo, however, can blind us to the
reality of the limitations and sometimes blood-curdling choices
of these women and men. When we christen everything biblical
heroes say and do as holy simply because they appear in our most
holy book, we open ourselve