Is the Old Testament verifiable? | Ask NT Wright Anything Podcast

In this episode, Tom responds to listener questions about the relevance, integrity and how we should read the Old Testament. Questioner's ask if the Old Testament is crucial to Christianity, referencing Andy Stanley's idea of "unhitching" Christianity from the Old Testament, as well as questions on the historicity of the Exodus, whether the Old Testament God is a God of war, and whether Theologian Greg Boyd's interpretation of violent portrayals of God in his book The Crucifixion Of The Warrior God are an attempt to present the Old Testament picture of God in a better light.

00:00 Intro
00:47 Andy Stanley's 'unhitching' of Christianity from the Old Testament
5:05 The Exodus story: myth or history?
9:48 How do we make sense of Old Testament violence? Is the God of the Old Testament a God of war?
15:19 Does the Christian God wear cultural masks? Tom Wright responds to Greg Boyd
15:58 Did God command war in the Old Testament?
21:32 Is the Bible to be read historically? Or more as a progressive story of humanity?
24:08 Tom's recommendations: Old Testament Commentaries

Recommended Commentaries:
Walter Brigerman

🔍 #biblestudy #oldtestament #exodus #scripture #biblicalinterpretation #faith #theology #tomwright #religiousdebate

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Ask NT Wright Anything Podcast
The show that connects you to NT (Tom) Wright’s thoughts and theology through your questions. Produced by Premier Unbelievable in partnership with SPCK and NTWrightOnline.

About NT (Tom) Wright: Tom Wright is one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars and the author of numerous books including Surprised by Hope, The Day The Revolution Began, Paul: A Biography and most recently Jesus and the Powers. He is senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. Wright is ordained in the Church of England and, among other roles, served as Bishop of Durham between 2003 – 2010. He is much in demand as a lecturer around the world and the author for the bestselling For Everyone commentary series and the New Testament For Everyone Bible translation. Wright is married to Maggie and they have 4 children. As well as being a voracious reader, he loves classical music and opera and enjoys playing the guitar!

[ChildofGod]

There are so many different obstacles that I face as a single mom. Some days I want to give up. God give me strength. I’m struggling to make ends meet. Both of my sons are special needs and require much from me. I keep faith because I know that God will provide. So as I struggle to buy groceries for my children, and as I struggle to pay rent every month. I turn to you Lord Jesus help me.🙏🏾

[ThembaMaselane]

Interesting approach, instead of attacking the perspective before thinking what deviations triggered it. Thank you sir.

[yourfriendlyneighborhoodin]

The most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament.
Psalm 110:1 LSB —
Yahweh says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”

[nnic]

Disappointed that NT Wright appears unfamiliar with the wonderful and brilliant Hebrew scholar Richard E. Friedman. Same old problem with NT scholars seeming not to have studied the HB and unaware of top notch HB scholars just as NT Wright is a brilliant NT scholar. Who Wrote the Bible should be a must read for all serious biblical students!

[yourfriendlyneighborhoodin]

No one can read through Hebrews and pretend the Old Testament is irrelevant.

It's 13 Pages, get cracking.

[jenniferbate]

Why are the questions all from America? I’d love to know if someone can give me a reason. It just seems odd…… Greg Boyd also wrote a very interesting book called Is God to blame?

[stuartjohnson]

The Gospel doesnt begin in Matthew 1:1. It begins in Genesis 3:15.

[yourfriendlyneighborhoodin]

I'll stick with Jesus.

He quoted from Genesis, the Psalms, and Isaiah as if they were fully relevant.

[mikebrown]

Prophecies from major and minor prophets of the OT are being fulfilled almost daily! Christ told His disciples to “watch and pray” Luke 21:36.

[dbarker]

As a Christian, I find the Old Testament is more aligned with God's intentions because it allows me to acquire as much wealth and property as possible while supporting policies that prevent wasting resources on irresponsible people who are too lazy to improve their lives on their own. I'm a devout Christian who believes we need to design a world based more on Old Testament morality.
No but what a bunch of pompous crap. 😂

[AlphaOmega]

I have found that promoting the OT sends people away from Christianity and into pagan religions. Over the years I've noticed that almost every 'cult' or 'pseudo-christian religion' relies on the Old Testament to discredit the true Faith, despite:
-Luke 16:16 “The LAW and the PROPHETS lasted *UNTIL* John the Baptist -(this is speaking of the whole OT)
-Matthew 5:18 “I came to FULFILL the Law” - (false religions use the Old Testament to deny this truth)

[fbcpraise]

So tell me where I'm wrong... in the OT, judgement, occasionally, does fall on the wicked. There are times when God says "this civilization must end." The flood, and fire falling on Sodom and Gomorrah... these don't seem to haunt people. The Canaanites dying by the sword upsets people very much, even though the Canaanites are described as desperately wicked. God said their sin had reached its full measure, he judged that their civilization had to end. Is he not, as Abraham said, the judge of all the earth?

[jimmunro]

Yep, let's not get stuck on the truth.

[tedclemens]

Where are the tenets of God's grace not found in the Old Testament? It's a judgmental world out there. Mostly what Jesus did was present this grace to a wider audience (John 3:16).

[cowdaddy]

Why bother with the Old Testament? I enjoy reading about a God who has a less advanced sense of morality than a 5 year old.

[John-guzn]

To suggest that we should ignore the Old Testament Word of GOD, is essentially a Blasphemy and a Heresy. I could not believe in the New Testament, if I had no knowledge of the Old. I'm blessed that at Judgment Andy Stanley will have to argue that and Not Myself.

[simonskinner]

Christianity is already divorced from the OT, Paul's epistles tell of his losing struggle with false teaching. Paul speaks of the religion and Torah that started with Abraham, and sets aside the amendment given to Moses, yet by misreading Paul Christianity validates itself.

I have a Ytube video series 'Myths in so-called Christianity' and my latest is #31 'Is Christianity the truth of the NT? No.', where I make this point.

[nnic]

Surely a Hebrew Bible scholar should be on the Premier podcasts. Why on earth are they not? Better a Hebrew Bible scholar sharing their insights than a NT scholar!!! No offence intended 😊

[busyb]

The sad thing about human history is that the depravity of genocide does repeat itself over and over even after the advent of Jesus. It appears in the Old Testament that God orders this instead of being appalled by human behavior. With the moral teachings of Jesus, this should never happen anywhere therefore in my opinion the God, Yahweh of the OldTestament was not moral and perhaps not the loving Father of Jesus. See John 8. Was he influenced by Platonic ideas of Divine Consciousness?

[gideonopyotuadebo]

IT IS BLASPHEMY TO CALL THE TESTIMONY OF YEHOVAH THE LIVING GOD OLD TESTAMENT.