The Old Testament for a Complex World

"The problems that beset church and society are profound and ever more evident in the tattering of our daily lives. Yet one resource of enormous profundity sits right before us, largely unopened, unread. In this inspiring book, Cameron Howard unleashes the Old Testament's power to address what ails us and to point us toward a more flourishing world for all."

"The Old Testament is at once one of the most interesting and most misunderstood bodies of literature in the world. The church, which ought to be among its most appreciative audiences, is instead often at a loss for what to say about it and how to hear it in our own times. This book emerged from deep interactions between the church and scholarship. It offers the reader both new foundations and concrete ways forward to reintegrate this majority portion of the Bible back into the life of the church at a time when we most need it. And I can think of no better guide than Cameron B. R. Howard."

"Cameron Howard describes interpretation as something akin to an atomic particle collision between reader, biblical text, and the energizing wind of the Spirit. The result of this impact? The possibility of 'new molecules of interpretation, releasing energy as light and beauty.' Howard then arranges just such a collision in this illuminating and beautifully written book, showing us, in the process, how the 'iconically old' Old Testament from bygone 'Bible times' nevertheless reflects a truly dynamic ethos. In three helpful case studies, we are shown how Scripture captures and canonizes 'required innovation.' The result of this book? Provocations of possibility and hope for the church--and a world--that finds itself in difficult days. Here is a volume that can change and help the church, those who belong to it, and those who serve it."

"Dr. Howard effectively connects the world of critical biblical scholarship to today's Christian communities. She rightly rejects the diminished relevance of the Old Testament and instead contends that the church must reclaim the entirety of Scripture as a generative and faithful source for the thriving of God's people. Readers will discover the ways that seemingly arcane topics such as the genre of apocalypse can inspire new approaches to church leadership."

"Cameron Howard presents a bold, new approach to a persistent, old challenge--the relevance and authority of the Old Testament to the life of faith. She grapples with the dynamic complexity of the Old Testament head-on and offers a convincing case that this complexity is itself a gift."