0021 - The Weight - Brent Strawn - "Hebrew Wisdom, Weary World"

Show Notes:

Conversations about the Bible in modern-day culture tend to dichotomize the Old and New Testaments in a manner that reduces the Old as archaic and obsolete while isolating the New as the bearer of relevance and truth. However, a deeper engagement with the texts of the Old Testament just might surprise readers when they find how relatable these stories of old are to an increasingly weary world. Was it not these very words that were used by Christ himself to proclaim his message to the world?

Dr. Brent Strawn is a Professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School, as well as a Law Professor at Duke Law School who joins us this week on The Weight. Strawn has published over 200 articles, chapters in books, contributions to reference works, and reviews. A prolific academic and researcher, Strawn’s work is inextricably linked to his pastoral identity as an ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, a calling he evokes as he “brings out treasures new and old” from the words of the Old Testament. 

In this episode, Strawn joins Chris and Eddie to discuss the unique role that the Old Testament can play in today's calamitous world. Revealing the multi-faceted nature of the oft-generalized testament, they discuss how the Old Testament can both accurately reflect the depths of anxiety and suffering felt in today’s world while also serving as conduit of substantial hope and empowerment. No matter where you fall on the religious spectrum, let this conversation be the beginning of a journey of rediscovery of the treasures hidden within the texts of the Old Testament.

Resources:

In “The Old Testament Is Dying,” Brent details the ways in which the Old Testament is losing prevalence in the church while reminding readers of the vital role it should play in Christian faith and practice:

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Dying-Recommended-Explorations/dp/0801048885

“The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction” introduces readers to the three main sections of the Hebrew Bible while contrasting the story of the Old Testament told by scholars and the story that the Old Testament literature tells itself.

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Concise-Introduction/dp/0415643007

You can find a collection of Brent’s academic works here:

https://www.amazon.com/Brent-A.-Strawn/e/B0083HUZHU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Chris references “Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief, and Uncertainty” by Walter Brueggemann, the author invites readers to engage with a scriptural imagination that helps us find God in the midst of global pandemic:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087VT869K/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

The Pirkei Avot, referenced by Brent and Chris, is an ancient compilation of ethical teachings of the Rabbinic Jewish tradition. You can learn more about it here: https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot?lang=bi