Villains

What made them villains? And what makes us different?

Pharaoh. Jezebel. Nebuchadnezzar. Judas. Pilate. The Beast of Revelation. The Bible is full of villains—and most of us have learned to move past them quickly, treating them as cautionary figures whose stories exist mainly to make the heroes look better by comparison. Matthew L. Skinner thinks we are missing something important.

In Villains: How the Bible’s Worst People Bring Out the Best in Us, Skinner examines some of Scripture’s most notorious figures not simply as characters to condemn, but as people whose choices, fears, ambitions, and failures reveal the genuine moral stakes of faith, courage, and discipleship. The Bible’s antagonists—from Pharaoh and Jezebel in the Hebrew Scriptures to Herod, Judas, and Pilate in the Gospels to the Beast and Babylon in Revelation—expose the dangers of power, the ease of self-deception, and the human capacity for cruelty in ways that sharpen our understanding of justice, humility, repentance, and hope.

These are not comfortable studies. But they are necessary ones. Because in forcing us to ask why these figures did what they did—and how different we actually are—they help us answer the questions that matter most: who are we, who are we becoming, and what kind of people is God calling us to be?

Each book includes everything you need for a meaningful study experience — plus a companion code to stream all video sessions and unlock leader resources online. Internet connection required. Code is non-transferable, may not be sold separately, and is subject to expiration.