OPINION ABOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT (2nd of several)

Some Christians disparage the Old Testament. Of course that position appears a bit shocking to traditionalists and purists. After all, Christians have normally considered the Old Testament to be God’s Word. They have found help and pleasure in reading Proverbs and spiritual inspiration in the Psalms. The training of Christian preachers has emphasized proficiency in Hebrew and Greek to insure accurate application of Old Testament narrative and instruction to New Testament times.

So why would people ignore the Old Testament?
Some Christians find parts of it morally offensive and inappropriate.  OT books can be rambling and confusing, even dull and uninteresting. I understand misgivings and wariness about the Old Testament. It's not a new occurrence. Pre-Reformation scholars sometimes regarded OT scripture as sub-Christian, preferring to view OT stories as allegorical, packed with spiritual meaning rather than actual historical content. That is dehistorizing the Old Testament. That's not justifiable and I can tell you why. God did things among real people to reveal himself and his holiness and his expectations, and he did these things at real times and at real locations to provide a context for the dramatic revelation of the incarnate Son of God who came to be a ransom by way of an atoning substitutionary death for sinners. It can be asserted that the New Testament is decidedly more pertinent to post Calvary people, given that it contains the words of Christ and letters to churches, but we cannot emphasize the New Testament while dismissing or ignoring the Old Testament.