Lies My Pastor Told Me
The Candler Foundry
COURSE INFORMATION
Course Dates: March 19 - April 16, 2026
Course Time: Tuesdays, 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM ET (Online)
Course Description
In this course, Brent Strawn, author of "Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament," probes several of the more important (and damaging) mistruths that we have come to believe about the first and longest part of the Christian Bible. If you’ve wondered about the relevance or practicality of the Old Testament, not least its law, or the history and the violence found therein, or about its depiction of God, this is the class for you!
For more information, please email our Assistant Director of Community Learning and Partnerships, Donnell Williamson, at dwilliamson@emory.edu.
Recommended Books
Strawn, Brent. Lies My Preacher Told Me.
Meet the Instructor
Dr. Brent A. Strawn
Professor Strawn’s research focuses on ancient Near Eastern iconography, Israelite religion, biblical law, the Psalms, poetry, and Old Testament theology. He joined the Duke Divinity School faculty in 2019 and has a secondary appointment at the Duke University School of Law. Strawn is also a member of the Hebrew Bible track in the Ph.D. program in Religion, where he teaches and advises doctoral students in Duke’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Before that, he taught at Asbury Theological Seminary for three years and then, for eighteen years, at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he was the William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of Old Testament. Strawn has published over two hundred and fifty articles, chapters in books, contributions to reference works, and reviews.He is an ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church and regularly speaks and preaches at churches across the country. He has appeared on CNN on matters ranging from Easter celebrations to Pope Francis to gun violence, and served as both translator and member of the editorial board for The Common English Bible. Professor Strawn has received grants from the Association of Theological Schools, the Catholic Biblical Association, the Wabash Center, the Center for Hebraic Thought, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Courses in the Community: On Demand
Please check this section regularly for your weekly course recordings and important updates. If you are experiencing any delays or issues, please email our Coordinator of Digital Initiatives, Cristha Lea at candlerfoundry@emory.edu.