Why Does the God of the Old Testament Seem so Violent and Hateful?

Atheists often level charges at the God of the Bible as being angry and hateful. They claim that God condones genocide, that He is a cruel and oppressive megalomaniac, but this doesn't seem to match what Christians claim about Him being a God of love. How can a God who provides and saves also wipe out entire nations?

Richard Belcher's addition to the Big Ten series addresses these commonly asked questions. He begins by laying out how God created humanity in His own image, but we chose to rej...