In Lies My Preacher Told Me, Brent Strawn aims to dispel ten misconceptions of the Old Testament that are common amongst both believers and nonbelievers. As an Old Testament professor, Strawn often hears objections and comments about the OT that are either untrue or misconstrued. In the first mistruth, the author argues against the idea that the OT is reading “someone else’s mail” since we are not the original recipients of the text. Although the OT Scriptures may seem irrelevant to believers today, Christians are to receive the whole counsel of God which includes both testaments as God’s inspired word binding on all generations of believers. The next mistruth centers upon the complaint that the OT is a boring history book. Strawn argues that OT Scripture contains a number of different genres other than history and the selective recorded historical narratives are purposeful and enriching. Another common remark is that the OT is no longer binding given that the New Testament has become its replacement. The author points out that Jesus read the OT Scriptures as God’s Word and stated that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Although many OT traditions and stipulations no longer apply to Christians today, the OT is indispensable in that many NT concepts and content are inextricably linked to the OT. The next mistruth centers upon how the OT portrays God as being mean, violent, and angry. Strawn responds to this be highlighting that God’s wrath is the outflow of His divine justice to those who practice unrighteousness and demonstrates His great love for us to turn from our sinful ways. In addition, others may point to the acts of violence in the OT such as the Canaan conquests as being problematic and irreconcilable. Strawn purports that the violence God commanded was necessary in terms of carrying out God’s justice on sinners, limited in scope as opposed to outright annihilation in every circumstance, and do not serve as examples for Christian imitation as these acts serve as part of God’s redemptive plan in a specific time period. Next, the author shifts gears to address the issue of biblical authorship and other historical assertions that some people make to support their understanding of particular passages of Scripture. Strawn agrees that contextual and background information is essential to studying the Bible but the reality is that we do not have all the data to make irrefutable claims on historical facts. The next two mistruths are closely linked in that many Christians find the OT to be irrelevant to their spiritual and physical lives as opposed to NT teachings. Indeed, many of the laws, traditions, and narratives may seem distant to us but the OT is God’s written revelation for us to learn who God is and how He interacts with His creation in redemptive history. Moreover, there are some who see the OT’s statutes to be too restrictive and burdensome for contemporary Christians. On the contrary, Strawn points out that we are not told anywhere in the NT to abandon the OT Scriptures but rather to strive towards greater holiness of which both testaments are essential reading. The final mistruth is on the common refrain that everything in the Bible is ultimately about Jesus. Strawn finds this assertion to be distracting as the entire Bible is the revelation of the triune God of whom we are called to praise and worship. In most cases, the author provides intriguing observations, analogies, and examples to provide counterarguments against the mistruths. However, there are also places in the book where the author seems to not fully interact with the mistruth being addressed. The most significant example is the last mistruth which is that everything in the Bible is about Jesus. This is indeed an often-repeated refrain among conservative evangelical preachers encouraging believers to read the Bible through Christo-centric lenses. Strawn seems to suggest that those who subscribe to this perspective as having two issues. Firstly, this perspective elevates Christ over the two other persons of the Trinity and is unfaithful to the Christian belief in a triune God. On this point, the aforementioned preachers would undoubtedly disagree with being labelled as being anti-Trinitarian. Secondly, the author is painting adherents to this viewpoint as being ignorant to the fact that large amounts of Scripture does not directly or indirectly link to Jesus. Again, it would be farfetched to imply these pastors are trying to claim every single verse in the Bible to be at least a muted reference to Christ. I appreciate that the author is attempting to correct erroneous views of the OT; however, without fully engaging the perspective held by the other party, the exercise is more akin to utilizing straw man arguments rather than constructive dialogue.
I recommend this short book as a lighthearted yet important reminder to those who view the Old Testament as irrelevant or unhelpful to Christians today. It is tempting to try avoiding the OT for its passages containing bloody battles, outdated hygiene rules, or lengthy genealogies. However, Strawn illustrates by combating ten mistruths that the OT is part of God’s written word to us which provides vital spiritual nourishment and fellowship with the triune God. It is worth noting that the mistruths being addressed in this book have some element of truth in them or else such misconceptions would not prevail through multiple generations of believers. The solution to avoid falling into these traps lies in growing our appetite to read, study, and meditate on the whole counsel of God. To do so requires dedication and discipline in addition to constant prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten our hearts and minds.
In compliance with Federal Trade Commission regulations, I was provided a review copy of this book from WJK Books.
contemplative reflections 