"Lies My Preacher Told Me" (Brent A. Strawn)

TITLE: Lies My Preacher told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament
AUTHOR: Brent A. Strawn
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021, (128 pages).

What do you mean by "lies?" Aren't preachers supposed to be telling the Truth? How could anyone paint them as liars? Perhaps it is a marketing gimmick or a clever way to capture attention. I suppose that is so. Looking at the content, it is more about misconceptions or misinterpretations over the pulpit rather than flat-out untruths. Thankfully, the author explains right from the beginning that the title was merely to highlight ten controversial Old Testament "mistruths." Mistruths according to Strawn are about the Old Testament as:

1. Someone Else's Mail
2. Boring
3. Obsolete
4. Tales of A Mean God
5. Hyper-Violent
6. Putting David as sole author of Psalms
7. Non-Spiritually enriching
8. Non-Relevance
9. Law an Impossible to Keep type of Burden
10. That only Jesus matters

Each of these mistruths is explained and subsequently clarified. Following that there are questions for discussions, making this book a suitable one for group study. The first mistruth was deemed the most serious, which is the reason the author chooses to place it first. The second dispels the misnomer about the Old Testament being a boring history book. Perhaps there are boring preachers, but to call the ancient texts boring just because someone else preached on it badly would be doing the Old Testament injustice. Strawn points out the different genres of the Old Testament, besides history. He shows us that the Old Testament remains a vital part of Christian Life. He tackles the oft-mentioned comment about a wrathful God of the Old Testament, saying that divine judgment includes divine wrath. Having said that, readers should never see wrath in a lopsided vacuum. Never separate the judgment from the seriousness of injustice and sin by the many evil people in history. With regard to the violence in the Old Testament, readers also learn that violence is not limited only to the olden days. There is much violence happening today too. On David as author of psalms, Strawn points out that he is not the only author. Plus, our focus should not be on the author but the content. These and many more are dealt with and clarified. At the end of the book, the author gives a resounding affirmation on the validity and trustworthiness of the Old Testament, urging us to avoid accepting half-truths but to embrace the whole Truth, that the whole Word of God is edifying and necessary for our faith. 

My Thoughts

This is a creative way to highlight some of the misgivings and half-truths we hear about the Old Testament from time to time. Most preachers would probably not be saying that. In starting each chapter, I detect more hyperbole when the author was describing the mistruths. Sometimes, exaggeration can be a helpful pedagogical tool to enable us to see the distinction. Stretch it further and most of us would easily identify it as untrue. Having said that, what might be apparent to us in a book does not necessarily mean we will recognize it in real-life conversations. I have heard accusations of the Old Testament being irrelevant (Mistruth #8), as well as the Old Testament God, being a vengeful God (Mistruth #5). The point about some Christians saying that the whole faith is essentially about Jesus (Mistruth #10) would miss the mark of God's overall big picture. It is thus helpful for Strawn to show us that we need to see the whole Bible as God's revelation to us as Trinity. 

What I like about this book is how the author dispels misconceptions often communicated in ways beyond the pulpit. Frankly, I don't usually hear these from the pulpit, but more from misinformed Christians. This is especially so in a world of social media where individuals are increasingly painting themselves as expert commentators about the Bible. This makes books like this even more important as a way to clarify doubts and clear up any misunderstanding. I would want to add that for those who have never said any of these mistruths verbally, that does not mean they would not say it when they have the chance. At the same time, the things that one does not say in the past do not mean they will never say it in the future. Thus, Strawn's book preempts any future errors as well!

Finally, I feel that Christians need to study and appreciate more of the Old Testament. This book helps us toward that track. It makes for an interesting group study as well as a discussion forum too. Perhaps, this book is also a warning for preachers not to preach any of these "lies."

Brent A. Strawn is Professor of Old Testament and Professor of Law at Duke University. Previously, he served as the William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at the Candler School of Theology and Graduate Division of Religion of Emory University. He is the author of numerous articles, chapters, and books, including “The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment” and “The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction.”

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.