#189 | Savoring Scripture | Andy Abernethy

Are you bored reading your Bible? I know you feel guilty in saying that, but we all experience boredom every once in a while. We know that God is not boring, nor is His Word, but we get bored due to a variety of factors. We get confused, we don't know always what to read or what a text means and that's when we need a guide.

Travis welcomes Old Testament professor Dr. Andy Abernethy to the show as they discuss his book Savoring Scripture. In addition, to being an Old Testament professor at Wheaton College, Andy is a former college basketball player and the son of a college basketball champion, and NBA player.

After a season of rebellion in his late teens, Dr. Abernethy experienced God’s mercy in Christ in a radical way and transferred to a liberal arts Christian college. A major surprise arose at his new college; though he thought the Bible was boring before, he now loved reading it, even the Old Testament. He was not naïve, however, about the challenges of understanding these ancient Scriptures. By the end of his college years, Dr. Abernethy sensed God directing him to devote his life to studying and teaching God’s word. He went on to seminary, and after a few years in pastoral ministry, undertook further study in the Old Testament.

Prior to Wheaton, Dr. Abernethy was a Lecturer in Old Testament at Ridley College (Melbourne), where he benefited greatly from teaching and living with fellow Christians in a cross-cultural and post-Christian context. At Wheaton, he is excited to see students enjoy getting to know God more through the Old Testament and grow as faithful interpreters of Scripture. Dr. Abernethy's primary research area is the book of Isaiah, though Psalms, the Latter Prophets, biblical theology, and the topic of eating attract his attention too. He has written numerous articles and is also the author of several books: Eating in Isaiah (Brill, 2014); The Book of Isaiah and God’s Kingdom (IVP, 2016); Interpreting the Old Testament Theologically: Essays in Honor of Willem A. VanGemeren (Zondervan Academic, 2018), God’s Messiah in the Old Testament (Baker, 2020); Discovering Isaiah (Eerdmans/SPCK, 2021).

Travis and Andy discuss the Bible and how to read the Bible in a way that is honoring God and keeps in mind His communication with us. It's a conversation that will refresh, encourage, and inspire you to read the Word of God all over again. And plus they have some discussions on basketball (so that's fun!). Learn more about Dr. Abernethy

In this episode, we referenced a couple of different other episodes:

#150 Kevin Vanhoozer: Scriptural Illiteracy & Secular Imagination, Pt. 1

#151 Kevin Vanhoozer: Scriptural Illiteracy & Secular Imagination, Pt. 2

#170 Allen Yeh | Polycentric Missiology

And check episodes that help us understand the Bible better:

#26 Randy Richards: Misreading Scripture With Individualist Eyes

#77 Michael S. Heiser-Naked Scripture, the Supernatural, and Scared Evangelicals

#88 Tremper Longman III, Pt. 1-The Bible You Need Is The One You Read

#89 Tremper Longman III, Pt. 2-Scripture, Psalms, and Nourishing Your Soul

#101 Esteban Shedd: Creative Communicators Engaging Global Urban Culture

#106 Donald Whitney: Praying the Bible

#111 John Plake: Scripture Engagement, Trauma, and Transformation in Chaotic Times