What do you think?
Key Questions about Christian Faith: Old Testament Answers
Distinguished biblical theologian John Goldingay explores what the Old Testament has to say about twenty-five important questions of the Christian faith, drawing practical, sensible applications for today's church. He writes in an engaging, conversational style and seeks biblical alternatives to the often polarized positions of Christian debates. Questions • Who Is God? • How Do God's Love and God's Wrath Relate to Each Other? • Does God Have Surprises? • What Does It Mean to Be Human? • Can We Make Sense of Death and Suffering? • What Is Sin? • What Is the People of God? (A Narrative Answer) • What Is the People of God? (An Answer in Images) • What Is a Covenant? • What Is the Meaning of Sacrifice? • Why Circumcision? • Should I Tithe Net or Gross? • Was the Holy Spirit Active in First Testament Times? • How Does Prayer Work? • What Is Israel's Place in God's Purpose? • Is Election Fair? • What Is the Relationship between Creation and Salvation? • How Does the First Testament Look at Other Religions? • Is Leadership Biblical? • Is God in the City? • Does God Care about Animals? • What Is a Family? • What Does the Bible Say about Women and Men? • What Might the Song of Songs Do for People? • How Should We Think about Same Sex Relationships? Old Testament professors and students, pastors, and educated lay readers will appreciate Goldingay's passion for his subject.
368 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
About the author
John E. Goldingay
87 books73 followersJohn Goldingay is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. An internationally respected Old Testament scholar, Goldingay is the author of many commentaries and books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 24, 2011
John Goldingay is a brilliant Old Testament scholar who teaches at an evangelical seminary (Fuller) while being the member of a mainline denomination (Episcopal). The first volume of his Old Testament Theology was a fantastic read (the second one was good too, just more tedious). I approached this book expecting it to be about questions skeptics have for Christians. While it was that to an extent, I think it is more for a Christian audience.
Goldingay does not directly approach some of the primary questions skeptics have about the Old Testament: its acceptance of slavery and the bloody taking of the land commanded by God. These questions are addressed in other books (Christopher Wright's The God I Don't Understand; Paul Copan's Is God a Moral Monster are two I have read). I say this because if you are looking for answers to questions from a non-believer, this book may not be your first stop.
Many of the questions simply bring clarity to the Old Testament: Who is God? What is Covenant? What is Sin? What is the People of God? How do God's Love and Wrath relate? Well, I know that last one is a question both Christians and non-Christians ask.
What I most enjoy about Goldingay is he does not take the text beyond what it says. This is most obvious in one of the best chapters: Does God have surprises? He points out that in the debate between Open Theists and Classical Theists, both sides bring their theology and use it to explain away certain texts. The fact is, states Goldingay, some scriptures indicate God knows the future and others indicate that God is genuinely surprised by the actions of free creatures. Theologians debate which texts trump the other; Goldingay says that approach is unfair to the text. Thus, Goldingay's answer is that God knows the future but sometimes chooses not to know the future. Perhaps some find that a non-answer, I find it faithful to the Bible.
There were some chapters that seemed kind of random, but ended up being fun (Should I Tithe Net or Gross?). Many were very enlightening, such as the chapter on What the Song of Songs might do for people and the chapter on whether God is still working with physical Israel (or has the church replaced Israel?).
Goldingay says some things that may drive more conservative readers crazy, such as a statement easily missed in passing about how truth can be taught through fiction as we see often in scripture, such as the stories of Job, Ruth, Esther, Daniel and the parables of Jesus. I hope readers who disagree with such statements do not miss the profundity of the rest of the book.
Goldingay does not directly approach some of the primary questions skeptics have about the Old Testament: its acceptance of slavery and the bloody taking of the land commanded by God. These questions are addressed in other books (Christopher Wright's The God I Don't Understand; Paul Copan's Is God a Moral Monster are two I have read). I say this because if you are looking for answers to questions from a non-believer, this book may not be your first stop.
Many of the questions simply bring clarity to the Old Testament: Who is God? What is Covenant? What is Sin? What is the People of God? How do God's Love and Wrath relate? Well, I know that last one is a question both Christians and non-Christians ask.
What I most enjoy about Goldingay is he does not take the text beyond what it says. This is most obvious in one of the best chapters: Does God have surprises? He points out that in the debate between Open Theists and Classical Theists, both sides bring their theology and use it to explain away certain texts. The fact is, states Goldingay, some scriptures indicate God knows the future and others indicate that God is genuinely surprised by the actions of free creatures. Theologians debate which texts trump the other; Goldingay says that approach is unfair to the text. Thus, Goldingay's answer is that God knows the future but sometimes chooses not to know the future. Perhaps some find that a non-answer, I find it faithful to the Bible.
There were some chapters that seemed kind of random, but ended up being fun (Should I Tithe Net or Gross?). Many were very enlightening, such as the chapter on What the Song of Songs might do for people and the chapter on whether God is still working with physical Israel (or has the church replaced Israel?).
Goldingay says some things that may drive more conservative readers crazy, such as a statement easily missed in passing about how truth can be taught through fiction as we see often in scripture, such as the stories of Job, Ruth, Esther, Daniel and the parables of Jesus. I hope readers who disagree with such statements do not miss the profundity of the rest of the book.
November 14, 2020
Goldingay's collection of essays is full of theological insight, exegetically-careful, generous and open as he explores how the Old Testament answers twenty-five questions people (especially Christians) might have about what we believe, rather than a work of apologetics. The book is extremely readable and not overly-erudite. The impression I get is that he's writing to a largely lay audience, and the questions he seeks to answers are relevant to Christians today (2020).
Summary of the book in three (long) sentences:
1. A biblical theological approach to the Old Testament to answer questions about the Christian faith is will challenge a lot of our dogmatic (systematic) answers.
3. Hearing the Old Testament in its own terms is simultaneously humbling and uplifting, because it becomes clear that God is self-involving, and despite the rejection and waywardness of his people, he "carries" their collected offence against himself, working in and through history to complete the story he started.
2. The Old Testament is often multivalent or polyphonic in its witness about who God is and how he related to humanity (and vice versa), but this doesn't detract from it's trustworthiness and authority for Christian living in today's context.
What I found helpful
Content:
Goldingay approaches these topics from a biblical theological perspective - as opposed to systematic theological - that in itself makes this work worth reading. Most of the "popular-level" Christian works recommended by my local church on the topics in this book are usually "systematic." Although that is helpful, I wanted a different perspective, especially one that sought to see how the Old Testament could still speak to today's concerns.
Goldingay is incisive in his critique of what he finds problematic in modern evangelical Christianity, yet kind in suggesting ways forward. He is creative in exploring issues that are on the minds of modern Christians while still being disinterested enough to allow scripture to shape what we should think about certain issues - chapters 12 (*Should I tithe net or gross?*) and 19 (I*s leadership biblical?*) are good examples.
I think there's a subtle diminishing of the Old Testament's relevance to Christians in that Israel's scripture are used as a springboard to talk about Jesus and the New Testament. Goldingay is concerned to avoid that and reclaim the Old Testament's voice, witness, and as a corollary, it's relevance to Christians.
Chapters 2 (*God's love and wrath*), 6 (s*in*) and 10 (*the meaning of sacrifice*), which are quite important concepts in the broadly-evangelical Reformed circle I'm in, were chapters I particularly appreciated. What I came away from reading those was gain a more narrative and holistic view of those concepts in the Old Testament. Then some bulbs begin to light up as I read about how the New Testament authors develop and explore these concepts in the person of Jesus.
Writing style/readability:
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Most of the chapters aren't too long and not overly-technical. Although some chapters have more footnotes, they don't overwhelm the reader and not following through on those does not cause one to miss Goldingay's points. Some of the essays are witty and I appreciated the distinctly subtle British humour, with its understatements and playful jabs at others.
What would have made it better
He treads a fine balance between detailed, careful exegesis and an inclination to make generalising claims. I read his other collection of essays *Key Questions about Biblical Interpretation: Old Testament Answers* (published later) before I read this and found Goldingay more convincing in this latter work.
Although the breadth of topics covered (25 chapters), I found certain essays lacking in depth. He does make big claims without sometimes fleshing his arguments out more deeply. It could be that he doesn't feel the need to go into too much detail, since this is written to a largely lay readership. However, some of these essays were published in journals and although he brings creative insights in so few words, I think many of the essays could be improved if he added more depth. For instance, his final chapter "How Should We Think about Same-Sex Relationships?" only touches the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the passages he quotes mean.
Who should read it?
Anyone interested in finding out how the Old Testament answers some of the common questions that Christians have about what we believe. Readers will be provoked to examine some of our previously held-convictions, will encounter a thoroughly biblical theological approach to reading the Old Testament which makes scripture come to life in ways I never saw in my Christian circle, and be entertained by Goldingay's wit and the unconventional lenses through which he sees scripture and the world today.
Summary of the book in three (long) sentences:
1. A biblical theological approach to the Old Testament to answer questions about the Christian faith is will challenge a lot of our dogmatic (systematic) answers.
3. Hearing the Old Testament in its own terms is simultaneously humbling and uplifting, because it becomes clear that God is self-involving, and despite the rejection and waywardness of his people, he "carries" their collected offence against himself, working in and through history to complete the story he started.
2. The Old Testament is often multivalent or polyphonic in its witness about who God is and how he related to humanity (and vice versa), but this doesn't detract from it's trustworthiness and authority for Christian living in today's context.
What I found helpful
Content:
Goldingay approaches these topics from a biblical theological perspective - as opposed to systematic theological - that in itself makes this work worth reading. Most of the "popular-level" Christian works recommended by my local church on the topics in this book are usually "systematic." Although that is helpful, I wanted a different perspective, especially one that sought to see how the Old Testament could still speak to today's concerns.
Goldingay is incisive in his critique of what he finds problematic in modern evangelical Christianity, yet kind in suggesting ways forward. He is creative in exploring issues that are on the minds of modern Christians while still being disinterested enough to allow scripture to shape what we should think about certain issues - chapters 12 (*Should I tithe net or gross?*) and 19 (I*s leadership biblical?*) are good examples.
I think there's a subtle diminishing of the Old Testament's relevance to Christians in that Israel's scripture are used as a springboard to talk about Jesus and the New Testament. Goldingay is concerned to avoid that and reclaim the Old Testament's voice, witness, and as a corollary, it's relevance to Christians.
Chapters 2 (*God's love and wrath*), 6 (s*in*) and 10 (*the meaning of sacrifice*), which are quite important concepts in the broadly-evangelical Reformed circle I'm in, were chapters I particularly appreciated. What I came away from reading those was gain a more narrative and holistic view of those concepts in the Old Testament. Then some bulbs begin to light up as I read about how the New Testament authors develop and explore these concepts in the person of Jesus.
Writing style/readability:
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Most of the chapters aren't too long and not overly-technical. Although some chapters have more footnotes, they don't overwhelm the reader and not following through on those does not cause one to miss Goldingay's points. Some of the essays are witty and I appreciated the distinctly subtle British humour, with its understatements and playful jabs at others.
What would have made it better
He treads a fine balance between detailed, careful exegesis and an inclination to make generalising claims. I read his other collection of essays *Key Questions about Biblical Interpretation: Old Testament Answers* (published later) before I read this and found Goldingay more convincing in this latter work.
Although the breadth of topics covered (25 chapters), I found certain essays lacking in depth. He does make big claims without sometimes fleshing his arguments out more deeply. It could be that he doesn't feel the need to go into too much detail, since this is written to a largely lay readership. However, some of these essays were published in journals and although he brings creative insights in so few words, I think many of the essays could be improved if he added more depth. For instance, his final chapter "How Should We Think about Same-Sex Relationships?" only touches the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the passages he quotes mean.
Who should read it?
Anyone interested in finding out how the Old Testament answers some of the common questions that Christians have about what we believe. Readers will be provoked to examine some of our previously held-convictions, will encounter a thoroughly biblical theological approach to reading the Old Testament which makes scripture come to life in ways I never saw in my Christian circle, and be entertained by Goldingay's wit and the unconventional lenses through which he sees scripture and the world today.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews