This was a decent introduction for preachers or teachers. Christopher Wright explains why the Old Testament needs to be included in sermons and teachings. This will be a great book for anyone who wants to be a minister or who is looking for a basic connection between the New Testament and the New Testament. It does a good job of connecting what and how. In other words, Wright is a very good author, and he associates what he has learned from the Old Testament with Jesus and provides guidance on how to apply it to your life.

This is such a deep and full on insights that one reading of it can do it justice.
It is not a novel to travel briefly in that world of make believe. This is a study book to refer to time and time again. A reference for the prescher, teacher and follower of biblical understanding.
It takes each aspect of the the old testament and shows how to begin to understand the text in its own context and then explores how one can then apply it to the life of a christian and as a tool for sharing with others.
The book devotes chapters to each theme and passages of the old testament whether it be Law, Prophets or Wisdom and it could be taken as subject material for wider bible studies.
However, it is the sermon writers who preach and teach from the Old Testament that will benefit by reading this book. It will not allow you to plod on before relating favourite stories. Rather through its approach and sustained examples it will question everything you previously thought was correct. not to criticise and say my way is best but in that unless we are consistent in our approach we do a disservice to the roles of teacher and preacher.
I have learned so much reading this book, with the prospect of cementing that knowledge only through returning to it again and revisiting the many scriptural references that make the points in his arguements.
Nothing here to brainwash or mislead the inexperienced. Rather a platform on which to build Bible study and exegesis.
It is not a staid academic tome; it reads as a set of study notes aimed not at the brightest but those who want to learn and share that knowledge.

I really appreciated the way in which the author began the book by stating the reasons why Christians should read the Old Testament. The three reasons are: "1. THE OLD TESTAMENT COMES TO US FROM GOD. 2. The Scriptures of the Old Testament were “God-breathed.” That word is often translated “inspired by God.” ” Paul meant that the words we now have in the writings of the Old Testament Scriptures were “breathed out” by God. 3. Third, Paul says the Old Testament Scriptures are “useful.”
Then he gives a list of the kinds of ways that Scripture functions “usefully” (“teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”) —all of which are things that should happen within the church community to help people live now in the way God wants us to."

I really like the method in which the author teaches, he teaches the concepts in an understandable manner, and then he uses review questions to see if you have understood the subject matter.
I also appreciate the way in which all the teaching eventually centers on Jesus, that He had to memorize the O.T. Himself , He taught with these scriptures, they are fulfilled in Him, and you cannot fully comprehend the N.T. without understanding the O.T.!

I have yet to read anything by Christopher J. H. Wright that I didn’t like and couldn’t recommend. His //The Mission of God// and //The Mission of God’s People// continue to be my most recommended texts. I now add //How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth// to that list for seminary students and those already in Bible preaching and teaching roles. Practical to its core, Wright guides the reader in approaching and handling the Old Testament with pastoral care, keeping his writing accessible to a broad range of readers while maintaining the same quality of method and depth for which he’s known.

The book is written in two parts. Wright begins by arguing for the importance of preaching and teaching the Old Testament and encourages the reader to do so, noting its increasingly limited exposure and the pitfalls that lie therein. He also corrects some commonly held misconceptions and sayings about the OT that are perpetuated by poor reading, exegesis, and sloppy books (e.g., the OT is not “all about Jesus,” as we often hear; it “points to Jesus”). We need to remember that the OT is comprised of different types of writing for different purposes, and that they each have their place and importance within the greater narrative. We should preach and teach them for what they are as they are and refrain from attempts at making them all fit into a simple “Jesus message,” which does not help others actually understand the OT—and thus rightly understand the New Testament—and is likely indicative of a preacher or teacher who does not properly understand the OT. The second part of the book—the bulk of the text—helps the reader to understand the different sections of the OT and then how to preach and teach from them. Wright offers many helpful checklists for sermon and lesson prep throughout the text, and he even includes easy-to-follow outlines and notes for several key Bible passages at the end of relevant chapters.

I highly recommend this for any and all preachers and teachers of the Bible. I imagine it will quickly find its way into Bible college and seminary syllabi everywhere.

*I received a temporary digital copy for review from Zondervan via NetGalley.