most christian preachers do not make much use of the Hebrew Bible. Black church leaders are the main exception to this rule. As a result, many churchgoers know little of the Hebrew Bible beyond a few beloved psalms, the exploits of legendary heroes, and, alas, their certainty that it testifies to “a wrathful God.” Well-traveled parishioners who have had direct experience of many other preachers have confirmed for me how unusual it is for a church to drink deeply from the Hebrew Bible during the worship hour.
Not so in the congregations I have served. There, the Hebrew Bible sounded a major chord along with the New Testament. We journeyed through Genesis and Job, the Psalms and the Samuels, the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, prophets major and minor, the histories, and more. Very much hangs on whether a Christian congregation is offered spiritual nourishment from Jewish scripture, or whether, by...
