Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament

by Brent A. Strawn

In this concise volume, Brent Strawn addresses ten common "lies" or mistruths about the Old Testament, from perceptions of God's personality (the "angry Old Testament God") to the relevance of the Old Testament for Christians. Discover why stories and laws written thousands of years ago, centuries before Christ, are enriching and indispensable for modern Christians. Written by a leading scholar in Old Testament and designed for easy reading and group discussion, this book will expand your thinking about the Bible's First (and largest) Testament.

Genres: Old Testament, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Audiobook, Christian

108 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2021

About the author

Brent A. Strawn (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is professor of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. He has authored or coedited various volumes and is on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and Journal of Biblical Literature.

Reviews

[John Pawlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Gives some helpful arguments about the issues with many of the assumptions we hold about the OT. A helpful title might have been, “lies my Methodist preacher told me” as many of the arguments are not as often found in the Reformed church tradition (for instance Chapter 4, the OT God is mean) but there are significant exceptions to this, such as the chapter on authorship and how our views of it affect our reading.

I definitely recommend checking this out if you are interesting in the OT but find it challenging and confusing to approach! Strawn offers a helpful introduction to combining rich readings of the OT from a faithful perspective with what scholarship on the OT has to teach us!

[Hiram · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5...Some of the points were very good and other parts were redundant.

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book, inspired by James W. Louwen's popular book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," is a quick and concise analysis of some of the "mistruths" that we often hear, believe, and repeat about the Old Testament. Brent A. Strawn, an Old Testament scholar with a pastoral heart, examines some of these mistruths and seeks to correct them. Among the many mistruths, I found most helpful and insightful the ones that dealt with violence in the Old Testament, as well as the (mis)characterization of the "God of the Old Testament" as mean, angry, and violent. I also appreciated his penultimate chapter on the Mosaic Law, in which he pushes back against the commonplace statements that the Law was "impossible to keep" and "unbearable." Ultimately, Strawn shows the ways in which people, especially Christians, can misread and misrepresent the Old Testament, usually not intentionally or maliciously, but unknowingly.

[Norman Falk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like a lot of proof-texting to me. Also, the chapters on violence and christological readings of the OT could have been better.

Did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped.

[Lisa Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid book addressing many false misconceptions about the Old Testament. Strawn covers 10 topics in this short book, giving a good start to further study, as well as a great notes section at the end with more resources about each topic. He also writes to the lay person (though I know many clergy who would do well brush up on these topics too), without dumbing down the information. The highlight for me was "Mistruth 4 - The Old Testament God is Mean...REALLY Mean". Strawn addresses this topic from an angle I've not heard before, and gives clear and concise reasoning for his answer. (Spoiler alert, God's not mean!) I have not dedicated my career to the Old Testament as Strawn has, but have long felt the need for more OT study and application in church, and this is a great launch pad!

Two critiques: 1. The title. He spends some time explaining it in both the introduction and conclusion, but it still doesn't sit right. Especially because he very quickly explains that he's not "really talking about lies", and then uses the term "mistruth" for the rest of the book. I'm pedantic like that. 2. I think he goes a smidge too far sometimes, including a reference at the end of the the chapter of Mistruth 4 (still the best chapter though!). I will give credit where it's due though: he also spends time acknowledging his biases, which covers a lot of the stretching. Use this book as a start to your own study - don't just take his word as gospel (not that he'd want you to anyway!). :)

Thanks to NetGalley for a free digital copy for review, all opinions are my own.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brent Strawn, professor of Old Testament at Duke University, gives the reader a tour of ten common "mistruths" about the Old Testament that are frequently passed around in Christian circles. In easy-to-follow, conversational prose, Strawn guides the reader to a fuller and more theological informed appreciation for the Old Testament by debunking ideas that typically lead Christians either to a skewed reading of the OT or total avoidance.

There are two reasons for the three-star rating: (1) Not all of the mistruths seem worthy of inclusion in a book like this. For instance, it's difficult to believe that a mistruth such as "David wrote the Psalms" or "The Old Testament is a Boring History Book" substantially impacts one's engagement with the OT (except, perhaps, if it leads you to completely avoid it--but then, I'm not so sure that someone's explanation of why it's not a boring history book would change anyone's opinion. That seems to be a mistruth that can only be corrected by the reader's personal engagement with the text). Granted, it is surely good to correct mistruths. But some will be corrected simply by deeper familiarity with the text, or by listening to Strawn's correction of the other mistruths. Had lesser mistruths like these been omitted, then more room would have been available to address the second reason for the three-stars. (2) Strawn's correction of the mistruths are often light and shallow. However, in his defense, he is intentionally writing for a popular audience. His academic work speaks for itself, and he is widely respected in his field. But whether by his--or his publisher's--choice, the content will leave many wanting more. Similarly, the sparse footnotes also signals a missed opportunity. In a book like this that's most suitable for beginning students of the Bible (or long misinformed ones), ample footnotes that point the more serious students to seminal works on the topics at hand, or a recommended reading section, would have been ideal.

None of this is to say that the book isn't useful. For distilling complex issues down to a manageable statement or two, Strawn is highly effective. And, there are good reminders here for those of us who regularly teach and study theology. As such, the person most likely to benefit from this book is the new seminarian, the rookie preacher, or the average church member. For these, I highly recommend it. For those who have studied and taught theology for years (who, admittedly, are probably not Strawn's audience in this work), this book can be passed over.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compact little volume is definitely worth a read. Solid theology, ten great chapters addressing “mistruths” that are common among Christians. I particularly learned a lot from chapter 5 (mistruth: the Old Testament is hyper-violent) and the last chapter ( mistruth: what really matters is that ‘everything is about Jesus’).

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, accessible. Good stuff! 4.5 stars maybe.
2nd to last chapter is important push back against simplistic christocentric/christological readings of the O.T. A generally helpful read that could be recommended widely.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where did we learn all of these interesting ideas about the Bible? Was it in Sunday School? Or from sermons? Watching TV? Just a word of caution, not everything you learn from the history channel is true!

When it comes to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, many people of certain preconceived notions about its contents, its usefulness, and its authority. Some traditions, like the one I'm part of, emphasized the New Testament and found little in the Old Testament of value. It's old for a reason, right? At least that's what some believe. Some, like Marcion, a second-century Christian, whose views were rejected as heretical, suggested that the Old Testament was inspired by a god other than the one Jesus proclaimed. Perhaps not everything we've taught or heard proclaimed from the pulpit is true.

Brent Strawn, a professor of Old Testament and Law at Duke University has written a brief treatise that responds to ten "mistruths" that have been promulgated about the Old Testament. Regarding the title of the book, one that might be directed at me, as I am a preacher, is a bit tongue in cheek. Strawn's title riffsJoames Loewen's book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. Strawn notes that he's not intending disrespect for preachers or Sunday school teachers, at least the good ones. That being said, no one is above making mistakes. So this is a way of addressing some of the ways in which the Old Testament has been portrayed. He wishes to address some of the mistakes that are likely the result of being ill-informed or not fully informed. He's not assuming that these mistruths are the result of intentional acts of misrepresentation. Nevertheless, it is still a problem.

So here are the ten mistruths as discerned by the author. The first mistruth suggests that "the Old Testament is"someone else's mail.'" In this first chapter, he addresses the idea that the Old Testament belongs to someone else and therefore has no value for a modern Christian. While it wasn't written for Christians, it has something to say to Christians because it is part of the Christian canon. Therefore it's our mail -- no matter what Marcion said.

The second mistruth suggests that the Old Testament is a "boring history book." Now, as a historian, I take offense at the idea that a history book would be boring, but what he has in mind here is the belief that it's just a collection of names, places, and dates. There is much more here than history, though it may contain it, but if read with openness it can be quite fascinating. Besides the charge that it is boring, there is the belief that it has been rendered obsolete. Remember, it's old and has been replaced by a new model. Again, the Old Testament remains part of Christian scripture and is useful for Christian reflection. It's not been put out to pasture.

Then there is the old saw, one Marcion imbibed, that the God of the Old Testament is mean or wrathful. Fortunately, when Jesus came around, God's attitudes changed. The truth is that God as revealed in the Old Testament is loving and compassionate, but does respond with anger at injustice and sin. As Strawn writes in his clarification "God's judgment of those things is in service to setting the world aright" (p. 39). The related charge is that the Old Testament is "hyper-violent." Truth be told there is a lot of violence there, but it's present in the New Testament as well (ever read Revelation?). The question is, why the violence? Is it not a reflection on human violence? Perhaps God is committed to reducing violence.

There are other issues that might not seem as problematic as the ones above, but we need to be careful, as he lays out concerning "mistruth 6," with "unhelpful historical assertions" like David being the author of the Psalms. It's true that some are attributed to him, but not all, and even those attributed to him might be dedicated to him. So be careful. Just because Jesus spoke of David being the author, doesn't mean he is the author -- tradition may have had something to do with that!

It's a bit surprising that anyone would suggest that the Old Testament is not spiritually enriching. Have they not read the Psalms or the opening chapter of Genesis? But that also is a mistruth, mistruth number 7. Strawn mentions a number of examples of how the Old Testament is enriching. Then there is the charge that it's not practically relevant -- mistruth number 8. Again, the author takes us through some of the ways in which it is useful to us as Christians. It's hard to believe that anyone, especially a preacher would make that charge, but apparently, it's been made!

Number 9 may have its roots in Paul's letter to the Romans. This idea that the Law is a burden and be kept is problematic. Now, Jesus did amplify things a bit, turning anger into murder and lust into adultery, but we can decide not to murder or commit adultery or steal. We can abide by the laws concerning what we eat and wear. I have plenty of Jewish friends who would disagree with the idea that the law can't be kept. In fact, the Law has much to say to us about how we live before God and with one another.

The final mistruth has to do with the relationship of the Old Testament with Jesus. There are those who see Jesus on every page of the Old Testament, but the fact is, not everything is about Jesus. I do find it interesting, though, that Strawn makes the claim that we should read it not with regard to Jesus at every point, but read it in a Trinitarian fashion. As a Trinitarian, I can understand the idea, but again, my Jewish friends wouldn't find a Trinitarian reading of the text any better than a Christological one. Nevertheless, I get his point.

It's a brief and interesting look at the way we often misread, misinterpret, and misrepresent the Old Testament. Whether we fall into any of these traps or not, it is good to be reminded of the ways we approach this first testament. The truth is, the Old Testament isn't obsolete and it does have much to offer us as Christians.

[Matthew Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, accessible, and concise demolition job on half- and mis-truths about the Old Testament from a very wise and reliable guide.

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can feel the "teacher" coming to life inside every page of Brent A. Strawn's "Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament," a well informed yet for the most part casual glimpse inside ten common "lies," or mistruths, about the Old Testament from perceptions of God's personality to the relevance of the Old Testament for Christians living today.

Strawn is one of the leading scholars in Old Testament and it's clearly a subject for which he feels great passion - after all, he's pretty much built his entire adult life and livelihood around it.

At barely over 100 pages, "Lies My Preacher Told Me" is a surprisingly brief yet extensive and informed analysis of Old Testament relevance and of the ten "mistruths" he chooses to approach with his writings here. Strawn writes in a very matter-of-fact way, though with light yet regular doses of humor, and "Lies My Preacher Told Me" and has a wonderful wisdom that makes difficult Old Testament passages accessible and understandable.

In essence, Strawn not only makes his argument but makes us understand his argument quite convincingly.

I can't deny, however, that I also wish at times that Strawn had approached "Lies My Preacher Told Me" a bit differently from a structural standpoint including the very title of the book itself. "Lies My Preacher Told Me" implies a level of controversy and conflict that never really exists within the book's pages because, at its honest core, "Lies My Preacher Told Me" isn't really arguing against actual lies or even mistruths - it's arguing against misperceptions and firmly held opinions often based upon an incomplete examination of the Old Testament itself. Strawn really starts to move toward this structure in the book's final couple of chapters, but early on "Lies My Preacher Told Me" feels like it's forcing itself into a gimmicky structure that needn't be.

Minor concerns aside, "Lies My Preacher Told Me" is a valuable text that accomplishes a couple of things quite beautifully.

First of all, "Lies My Preacher Told Me" beautifully makes the argument that we don't give the Old Testament its due. The Old Testament, as Strawn so concisely explains, is an integral part of the whole scripture and to deny it is really to deny scripture and how scripture is to weave itself into our lives and into our relationship with God.

Secondly, Strawn, perhaps more than anything, makes the Old Testament seem a whole lot less intimidating. As he argues in one of his "mistruths," the Old Testament isn't a way we're incapable of living but perhaps a way we choose to not live because we don't choose to live or or believe its applicability for our lives because it seems so absurdly weird and outdated. While Strawn's arguments are relatively brief, and I'd really say even introductory due to that brevity, they're clear and concise and offer a wholistic view of an Old Testament that we tend to view through a partial, inaccurate lens.

"Lies My Preacher Told Me" will be most meaningful for those active Christians who've grappled with the Old Testament and who've wrestled with Strawn's "mistruths." Strawn, who rather regularly admits he can be a bit too quick and pointed when jumping to his defense of the Old Testament, is pointed and precise in his arguments but he's also reasoned and patient and he ultimately has a deep understanding of why people have these common misperceptions.

"Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament" is a wonderful little book that opens up the Old Testament in new ways and sheds light on how we can invite the Old Testament into our daily faith journeys and rather exactly why we should do that. Written with significant doses of humanity and from an abundance of knowledge and years of study, "Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament" deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who wishes to live a complete, honest faith journey.

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof. In a competition for most provocative title, Lies My Preacher Told Me just might take first place. It’s attention-grabbing (and following the trend of the bestselling Lies My Teacher Told Me), but it’s more about myths and mistruths than outright lies. For a lie, I think, the connotation is usually that deception is purposeful. That’s usually not the case for the concepts discussed here. Instead, Brent Strawn tackles some myths, misconceptions, and outdated assumptions that people may have been taught in church. The ten lies he presents goes like this:

• The Old Testament is “someone else’s mail.”
• The Old Testament is boring history.
• The Old Testament is obsolete.
• The Old Testament God is really mean.
• The Old Testament God is hyper-violent.
• David Wrote the Psalms
• The Old Testament isn’t spiritually enriching.
• The Old Testament isn’t practically relevant.
• The Old Testament Law is a burden.
• What really matters is that “everything is about Jesus.”

As you can see, the focus is really not on Scripture has a whole, but is pretty well contained to a particular misunderstanding of the Old Testament and its usefulness in the modern age. Some of the lies are more common than others. I’ve heard pastors that the Law was a burden, that it’s obsolete. I’ve heard critics of Christianity complain about the perception of the OT God as mean and violent. What I haven’t heard is that the Old Testament is useless, not spiritually enriching, not relevant, and so on. Now, they may have said that about certain portions of the Old Testament, but never have I heard it dismissed as a whole.

So my primary criticism is simply the setup and structure. This isn’t so much about countering lies from the pulpit as it is correcting common layperson misconceptions about the Old Testament. Some of the chapters could have been combined. Was a chapter on God being “really mean” and a chapter on him being “hyper-violent” both necessary? Some chapters fit the title but not the rest of the structure. “David Wrote the Psalms” digs into common historical inaccuracies, but doesn’t fit the focus on the Old Testament as a whole. (Also, it’s likely that David did write some of the Psalms…just not all of them.)

I don’t have much to say in the way of content. Strawn is conversational and engaging. He clearly has a love for the Old Testament and a strong desire to make sure that it gets taught correctly. It’s a simple, quick read as Strawn keeps his concepts clear and straightforward. But in the end, he keeps circling back around to the same things. One chapter says that the OT isn’t obsolete. A few chapters later, we’re reminded that it’s spiritually enriching. Then we’re reminded that it’s practically relevant. It’s the same concept over and over in different words using different examples.

This was a strong idea for a book, but it doesn’t live up to the marketing and tone set by the title. The content of the book is then forced to fit into a mold that doesn’t quite do it justice. The result is a book that’s fine, but I’ve read a lot of other books—both on the relevancy of the Old Testament and correcting misconceptions in Scripture—that are better. If this is a topic you’re interested in, see Urban Legends of the Old Testament by Croteau and Yates instead.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and compelling series of "corrections" to mistruths that Christians are taught about the
Old Testament. Taking from the format of Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me", this book addresses 10 mistruths, including the myth of the Old Testament as a "boring history book". It is a light dive into difficult topics -theological and cultural. I would recommend to readers who are looking for an accessible writing on the Old Testament as it relates to Christian theology.

One thing of note, although it wasn't until the last chapter, Strawn does address why confronting these mistruths, and ones similar, is vital. He expresses, although briefly, the connection of biblical mistruths to white supremacy and violence. For more on this topic, I suggest "Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States" by Andrew Whitehead.

Overall, I recommend this book as it is accessible, quick to read, and opens the door for readers to further their learning on Christian theological topics that often make the Old Testament seem troubling.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies My Preacher Told Me takes ten misconceptions about the Christian Old Testament and, in short, clear prose, explains why each one of them is wrong. Strawn is an OT professor and scholar, and his teaching gifts come through in the way he structured each chapter and the book itself. I wish he'd expanded on the effects of each of these "mistruths" by describing how each particular scrap of bad theology harms people. He did this a bit in addressing anti-Semitism and white supremacy, but there's a whole lot more that needs to be said.

I had some difficulty discerning scripture quotations from Strawn's prose because of the Kindle format and assume that on the page, it will be more obvious which is which. Also, most of Strawn's bible quotations are from the Common English Bible (CEB) translation. This is not a translation I or the people I teach are very familiar with, so I will need to use the book in conjunction with teaching on translations-- not a bad proposition, but something to keep in mind.

This little book fits nicely in my library alongside Gordon Fee's "How to Read the Bible for all its Worth," Amy-Jill Levine's "The Misunderstood Jesus," and others that explode common misconceptions about the Bible in order to bring the richness and power of scripture to life. I will use Strawn's book in conjunction with the more in-depth books he cites. In particular, he draws much from Ellen Davis's "Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament."

Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Publishers for a free copy to review.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading - the chapters are about misunderstandings related to the Old Testament and not outright lies that come from a preacher sermons or a teacher's lessons. Further, the misunderstandings are mainly directed at people who are wholly unfamiliar with the Bible. The author then argues against each misunderstanding, and while he does use both Old and New Testament verses to support his thinking, some of his arguments require leaps of logic. For example, when he argues that God isn't "mean" or "very mean", he states that verses referring to the total destruction of a people group can't be considered genocide because some members of those groups still remain today. With that definition, there was no Armenian genocide, the Holocaust wasn't genocide, etc.

The book is a quick read, mainly because it just skims the surface of these misunderstandings. I'm sure there are better books about the Old Testament, and actually reading the Old Testament would eliminate a lot of the misunderstandings discussed in the book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to it as required reading for an intro to OT paper. This could have been a blog post, its a glorified list of ten. It's probably new information to non-bible-nerds but I'd redirect you to 'Misreading The Bible With Western Eyes' by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien if you want your preconceptions to really be challenged. As the title suggests this book only clears up things if you don't already understand the issues. It doesn't build skills to take away.

I expected Lie No 10. "it's All about Jesus" to be interesting; but if you've heard Dr. Mike Heizer's presentations on 'The Unseen Realm' what Strawn actually does is restate that the lie is actually true because Jesus is God and the old testament IS in fact all about God (though he denies pre-incarnations by omission).

I'm happy I practiced consuming something new but this one wasn't for me; you know that person in church who's already quietly arguing that the preacher is misunderstanding the context of the passage 😅

[J.L. Neyhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very accessible, very short book (116 pages) that could serve as a helpful introduction for someone not familiar with these common misunderstandings of the Bible. Honestly, I got a lot more out of Pete Enns' books but if someone wants something less academic than Enns, I might point them to this one.

The 10 "lies" (which are also the chapter titles) are:
1. The Old Testament Is ‘Someone Else’s Mail’
(This chapter argues against the idea that the Old Testament doesn’t belong to Christians, emphasizing its relevance and relationship with the New Testament.)
2. The Old Testament Is a Boring History Book
3. The Old Testament Has Been Rendered Permanently Obsolete
4. The Old Testament God Is Mean…Really Mean
5. The Old Testament Is Hyper-Violent
6. David Wrote the Psalms (and Other Unhelpful Historical Assertions)
7. The Old Testament Isn’t Spiritually Enriching
8. The Old Testament Isn’t Practically Relevant
9. The Old Testament Law Is Nothing but a Burden and Impossible to Keep
10. What Really Matters Is That ‘Everything Is about Jesus

[Carson Knauff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lies My Preacher Told Me is written by the same author as The Old Testament is Dying which I loved and led me to buy another one of his books. Although there is a sharp title the book itself reads very simply. Strawn spends a lot of time reversing damage done by poor teaching and education on the Old Testament. The issue I found, and others may run into, is I was blessed to be raised in a church that honored and taught the Old Testament. So as Strawn reverses the damage for others it felt very stagnant for me. I appreciate Strawn's dedication to the truth and it made for a great book of reminders, but for me this book did not lead to any damage being reversed but also the book never went into drive.

[Kendall Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, but the quality of the various sections is a bit uneven. I thought that Strawn's discussions regarding comparisons between the Old and New Testaments were particularly well done, particularly his discussion of violence. Other sections left more to be desired, such as the section on unhelpful historical assertions. I don't disagree with Strawn's main point here, I just don't think he did the work to persuade people who don't agree with him. Strawn's argument for a trinitarian approach to the Old Testament is helpful, but I failed to see how this is in any way in competition with a Christological approach. To read for Christ in the Old Testament is not to read for Christ to the exclusion of the Father or the Spirit.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book but was left wanting. Some “clarifications” were thought provoking like (1) the Bible isn’t all about Jesus it is about the Triune God and (2) the law was difficult to keep but not impossible. But others (and even those two above) seemed too focused on semantics and there was some slight strawmanning. For lies 4 and 5 the author essentially said that because the Israelites failed to eradicate the Canaanites, they weren’t attempting genocide...and in regards to God being angry: it only lasts .06 seconds so it’s not that big of a deal anyways!

Library book

[Tim Franks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very unique book looking at some of the misconceptions about the Old Testament of the Bible. I don't agree with all of his responses, but for the most part he does a good job covering these topics. I do think that he struggles to understand the background of the Old Testament pointing to Jesus. It is about the Gospel message being revealed through Jesus that is what the OT is building up to. His quotes and other sources would not be ones I would choose. Worth a read with discerning eyes.

[B. Barron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not finish this one.
Seemed self-contradictory to me.
In chapter 1 he argues that the Old Testament is applicable to Christians, so I guess Tattoos and pork are out for us.
In chapter 3 he argues God looks like an ass because the Old Testament is missing the descriptions of WHY she was angry.
And he is LONG WINDED in getting to the point!
Impressive that such a short book seems long-winded.

So 2 stars and mostly unread.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pithy and eminently accessible work by Brent Strawn is ideal for small groups or interactive Sunday School classes looking to stir interest in the Old Testament and in understanding how the Bible functions as a whole. Each chapter is short but full of provocative insights that will surely lead to lively discussion, and in the end, a deeper appreciation for the whole of the Bible.

I noted an editorial typo on page 63. Pilate governed Palestine between 26-36 CE (not BCE).

[daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the chance to read this. An easy but compelling read. Addressing common misconceptions about the Hebrew Bible (commonly called the Old Testament). The title reminds me of the book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," attention grabbing, not sure how many lie as they misunderstand scriptures and the history related to them-language, culture, etc.

[AngelaGay Kinkead · Rating 4 out of 5]

My adult Sunday School class worked through this and I'd say that every person walked away with new insights each week. It was a challenging book and a bit dense, but the overall opinion was positive. Not everyone read to prepare ahead, but I located an audio version on Audible and we would listen to that, with a few pauses for clarifications, then discuss. The audio chapters lasted 15-20 min.

[Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible writing. Terrible theology. He is wrong on many of his so called mistruths. One of the biggest is he says everything is not about Jesus in the Bible. You are wrong everything is about Jesus. In Him was the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is just a start of how wrong this book is.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A winsome, super accessible booklet that is a rousing apologetic for the OT. A bit uneven, and I would personally prefer a much more in-depth volume on a few of the issues addressed, but for the right audience this is a great little book.

Full review forthcoming from Englewood Review of Books.

[Linda Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps this book hits home more to people who actually believed these lies, but it's never something that I was taught or believed. It might make a difference based on what kind of denomination a person was taught in.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin with, this book wasn't about lies his preacher told him, it concerned misconceptions about the old testament. I learned nothing new from reading this. Perhaps it's earth shaking news to some, but not for me. It wasn't a terrible read, but it wasn't very good, either.