Wrestling with God, Part 1 | Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with returning guest Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Reed shares why we shouldn't skip or soften the Old Testament's hardest passages — and what we gain when we lean into them instead.

Episode Timestamps

0:12 — Introduction & Welcoming Reed Lessing Back

1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip or Soften the Old Testament

4:00 — What Still Perplexes the Scholars: Long Lifespans & the Trinity

5:50 — The Challenge of Distance: Hebrew Language Barriers

8:00 — Understanding Violence in the Old Testament

14:00 — Modern Israel vs. Biblical Israel: A Grievous Confusion

21:00 — The Key Question: Who Is Israel?

22:00 — Why the Church Skips the Psalms of Lament

26:00 — Where Reed Turns for Comfort in Hard Times

28:00 — What Didn't Make the Cut

29:45 — Encouragement for Those Wrestling with Scripture

33:00 — Looking Ahead: The Next Book in the Trilogy

34:00 — Closing

About the Guest

Dr. R. Reed Lessing is the The Edwin F. and Esther L. Laatsch Chair of Old Testament Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. He also serves as the University’s Director for the Center of Biblical Studies and oversees the University’s Pre-Seminary Program. Previously he was Senior Pastor at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and before that, Professor of Exegetical Theology and Director of the Graduate School at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and received the B.A. in pre-seminary studies from St. John’s College, Winfield, Kansas, in 1981. He earned his M.Div. (1985), S.T.M. (1989), and Ph.D. (2001) degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry on June 29, 1986. From 1986 to 1999, he served pastorates in West Monroe, Louisiana, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Resources Mentioned

Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.org

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