Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament

Strawn (The OId Testament Is Dying), professor of theology at Duke University, “unabashedly borrows” from James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me for this concise, insightful study that digs into 10 “mistruths” that are “more insidious and intractable than a bold-faced lie” about the Old Testament. Among the ideas he addresses are “The Old Testament Is a Boring History Book” and “The Old Testament Has Been Rendered Permanently Obsolete,” the latter of which he calls “a doozy” and “a very large mistake to correct.” Strawn refutes each straw-man statement, filling his defense with biblical quotes and references in his quest to reorient readers to the importance and relevance of the Old Testament. To that end, he suggests the Old Testament is only boring if one reads it without “knowing what to look for,” and that it remains “a lively and useful part of Scripture for Christian reflection.” Each chapter includes a clarifying statement (on “The Old Testament God Is Mean”: “God in scripture is deeply upset about injustice and sin”) and discussion questions. Strawn’s systematic analysis persuasively defends the Old Testament’s relevance for any Christian in doubt. (Feb.)