Posts by Charlie Trimm

Charlie Trimm

Charlie Trimm is an associate professor and chair of the Old Testament program at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Trimm loves to inspire students to recognize the beauty of the Old Testament and its relevance for the life of the church today. Having served for several years in pastoral ministry, he strives to encourage the spiritual growth of his students in all his classes. He received his Ph.D. from Wheaton College in 2012, writing his dissertation on God acting as a divine warrior in the exodus. His research interests include warfare in the ancient Near East, the family in the Old Testament, and difficult topics relating to the ethics of God in the Old Testament. He is married to Mariah, has four children, Eily, Kellen, Brynne and Deklan. When he is not teaching, he can often be found watching soccer.

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The Good Book Blog
The Destruction of the Canaanites
Charlie Trimm — March 20, 2023
The Old Testament presents a variety of ethical problems for modern readers, but the major ethical problem there is God’s commanded destruction of...
The Good Book Blog
A PhD in Biblical and Theological Studies: What Is It Good For?
Charlie Trimm — March 08, 2023
“Absolutely nothing!” might be the answer some recent PhD graduates would give to this question. The dream of many PhD students in biblical and...
The Good Book Blog
A Theology of Scouting?
Charlie Trimm — February 20, 2023
When I was asked to contribute a chapter on warfare to a recent book looking at ancient Israel (The Ancient Israelite World), I decided to focus on...
The Good Book Blog
Every Voice Database
Charlie Trimm — February 10, 2023
Many in theological education are calling for more diversity in publishing and research. However, one of the major problems with employing diverse...
The Good Book Blog
An Israelite Four Room House at Hazor: Biola Learn’s The Geography of Israel
Charlie Trimm — September 22, 2021
The following is the fourth post in a series on the new Biola Learn course called The Geography of Israel. Join The Good Book Blog and Associate...
The Good Book Blog
Gideon’s 300 Men at the Harod Spring: Biola Learn’s The Geography of Israel
Charlie Trimm — September 15, 2021
The following is the third post in a series on the new Biola Learn course called The Geography of Israel. Join The Good Book Blog and Associate...
The Good Book Blog
Saul’s Death near Bet Shean: Biola Learn’s The Geography of Israel
Charlie Trimm — September 08, 2021
The following is the second post in a series on the new Biola Learn course called The Geography of Israel. Join The Good Book Blog and Associate...
The Good Book Blog
A Drone at Megiddo: The Geography of Israel on Biola Learn
Charlie Trimm — September 03, 2021
The following is the first post in a series on the new Biola Learn course called The Geography of Israel. Join The Good Book Blog and Associate...
The Good Book Blog
Where is Jesus in Judges and Ruth?
Uche Anizor, Charlie Trimm — February 08, 2021
Jesus’ statement to the disciples on the road to Emmaus has long provided Christians with a hermeneutical key to reading the Old Testament: “...
Think Biblically
[Bonus] Is the Christian God a Genocidal Bully?
with Charlie Trimm
Sean McDowell, Charlie Trimm — December 29, 2020
One of the toughest challenges to the Christian faith is the claim that God is unnecessarily violent. How could God command "genocide" in the Old...
The Good Book Blog
Experiences in Co-Authoring
Charlie Trimm — December 28, 2020
My recent book on Old Testament theology was an experiment in co-authoring. While articles in the sciences almost always have multiple authors, in...
The Good Book Blog
Book Announcement: "Understanding Old Testament Theology"
Charlie Trimm — December 18, 2020
I recently published the book Understanding Old Testament Theology: Mapping the Terrain of Recent Approaches (Zondervan, 2020). Unlike most books...
Student Life Blog
Black Old Testament Scholarship: A Bibliography
Charlie Trimm — December 17, 2020
During the many conversations revolving around race during the summer of 2020, I began to think about the scholarship of Black scholars in my...
The Good Book Blog
Where is Ruth?
Locating Ruth in the Old Testament Canon
Charlie Trimm — December 14, 2020
Many Christians who have grown in the church had the experience of memorizing the names of the books of the Bible while they were children. What...
Talbot Magazine
Best of the Blog: Fall 2020
Should We Take Communion Remotely?
Uche Anizor, Darian Lockett, Charlie Trimm — December 08, 2020
While seminary graduates frequently express gratitude for their education, most also have a list of items colloquially entitled “Things Seminary...
The Good Book Blog
Black Old Testament Scholarship: A Bibliography
Charlie Trimm — December 07, 2020
During the many conversations revolving around race during the summer of 2020, I began to think about the scholarship of Black scholars in my...
Think Biblically
Does God Command That We Curse Our Enemies?
with Charlie Trimm
Sean McDowell, Scott Rae, Charlie Trimm — November 19, 2020
The imprecatory psalms--some of the most difficult parts of the Bible, are the places in which the psalmist asks God to bring judgment on one's...
The Good Book Blog
God’s Divine Weapons in the Old Testament
Charlie Trimm — November 11, 2020
Last year my colleague Ken Way and I had the chance to tour Egypt and see the many impressive remains from Pharaonic times that still awe...
The Good Book Blog
The Long Process of Writing an Academic Journal Article
Charlie Trimm — November 02, 2020
In biblical studies, one key way to advance scholarship is to publish a journal article in a respected journal. Journals publish cutting edge...
The Good Book Blog
A Classroom Game: War and Peace in Canaan
Charlie Trimm — October 19, 2020
One of the topics I love to teach to my students is the geography of Israel. I have been to Israel many times and lived there for extended periods...
The Good Book Blog
A Question I Didn't Get Answered in Seminary: Should We Take Communion Remotely?
Uche Anizor, Darian Lockett, Charlie Trimm — April 24, 2020
A few thoughts on virtual communion from different perspectives.
The Good Book Blog
The (Ir)Resistible Old Testament
A Review of Andy Stanley’s "Irresistible"
Charlie Trimm — February 11, 2019
In recent decades the church has seen droves of people leave for a variety of reasons (for more on this trend, see the book A Recipe for Disaster...
Talbot Magazine
Shelf Life
Recent publications from our very own Talbot faculty.
Gary McIntosh, J P Moreland, Charlie Trimm, Michael Wilkins — November 14, 2018
"Scientism and Secularism"; "Fighting for the King and the Gods"; "Building the Body"; "In His Image"
The Good Book Blog
Warfare in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament 5: Pictures From Old Books
Charlie Trimm — January 17, 2018
My recently published book on warfare in the ancient Near East and the Old Testament includes about 150 pictures. Besides the pictures from friends...
The Good Book Blog
Warfare in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament 4: Pictures From Friends
Charlie Trimm — August 29, 2017
My forthcoming book on warfare in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament not only has many words, but also about 150 pictures. While ancient Near Eastern texts are somewhat familiar, visual imagery remains unknown for the most part. This is partly due to the difficulties of acquiring permission to print the pictures. Some pictures I was required to buy directly from museums or professional photographers (and so I will not be able to post these pictures online). However, I was also able to acquire pictures for free from three other sources. First, I will show some pictures that were taken by friends ...