Product Overview
In this concise volume, Brent Strawn addresses ten common “lies” or mistruths about the Old Testament, from perceptions of God’s personality (the “angry Old Testament God”) to the relevance of the Old Testament for Christians. Discover why stories and laws written thousands of years ago, centuries before Christ, are enriching and indispensable for modern Christians. Written by a leading scholar in Old Testament and designed for easy reading and group discussion, this book will expand your thinking about the Bible’s First (and largest) Testament.
Reviews
"The mistruths that Strawn raises are important for Christians to consider as we learn more about the Old Testament and its role in our tradition."
—The Christian Century
“Strawn’s systematic analysis persuasively defends the Old Testament’s relevance for any Christian in doubt.”
—Publishers Weekly
“With self-effacing humor coupled with informed conviction, Brent Strawn lays to rest the most misguided (and, lamentably, most popular) misconceptions about the Old Testament. You can find no better guide than Brent.”
—William P. Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
“One cannot read more than a few verses of the Old Testament without stumbling upon profoundly difficult questions. With characteristic clarity and depth, Strawn takes on some of the most common and challenging among them, offering his readers fresh insight into persistent hermeneutical and theological problems.”
—Michael Chan, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, and host of the Gospel Beautiful Podcast
“This wondrous little book is an invitation to reconsider the importance and accessibility of the Old Testament as a resource for faith.”
—Walter Brueggemann, author of Sabbath as Resistance and Truth and Hope
“With the clarity, good humor, and wisdom that make him a superb teacher, Strawn names and skillfully dismantles, one by one, the most pervasive mistruths about the Old Testament among Christian believers.”
—Christine Roy Yoder, J. McDowell Richards Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Columbia Theological Seminary
“Concise and erudite, humorous and poignant, this book belongs in the hands of everyone who picks up the Bible.”
—Joel M. LeMon, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
“This book is a solid, substantive option for serious Bible study. Strawn asks difficult questions of the Old Testament and encourages readers to think deeply and search for complex rather than superficial answers.”
—Lynn Japinga, Professor of Religion, Hope College
“Strawn’s systematic analysis persuasively defends the Old Testament’s relevance for any Christian in doubt.” —Publishers Weekly