Old Testament Overview Session 1

“The ‘Two Gods’ Approach”

- did Marcion have a point?

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticide, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

(Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion p.31)

“The Old Testament portrays God as a father…it portrays God as a lion but also a lamb, an eagle but also a mother hen, a king but also a servant, a judge but also a shepherd. Just when we think we have God pinned down, the Old Testament introduces a whole new picture of him: as a whistler, a barber, a vineyard keeper.”

(Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read p.28)

Where Marcion would put the Old Testament!

Did he have a point?

Where have I been?

Old Testament – it’s our story too, if we are in Christ!

Two Approaches … Søren Kierkegaard

The Old Testament – All or nothing!

Take up your trusty bookmarks, Explore!

The book of Ruth

The book of RuthWho?

The book of RuthWhat?

What’s the story? What do we need to know? What kind of writing is it?

The book of RuthWhen?

The book of RuthWhere?

The book of RuthWhy? Theologically

The book of RuthWhy? Personally