Why another edition of Epic of Eden?

What makes this one different?

What does make this one different? Well, if you know the story, JD Walt and I launched the first study when Seedbed was just a dream and no one was filming Old Testament professors! So we filmed the first curriculum—forged in the furnace of hundreds of weekend intensives at as many different study groups in all the major time zones—over the course of three months at the new studio at Asbury College (now university) after hours. And when I say “after hours,” I mean like 7:00 pm to midnight! We gleaned a studio audience from the dining hall of Asbury Seminary (and my Biblical Archaeology class that had just sat through six hours of lecture), I changed clothes every session in the women’s bathroom, friends were dabbing at my hair and make-up, and we went for it. The end result was what has transformed your study group from “Yeh, let’s stay away from the Old Testament” to “Man, is there another study we can do on the Old Testament?!”

But as I know you know, the filming and the study guide need a bit of a “tune up” from that first wholehearted (but not as whole-resourced!) effort. Hence, what you have in this new edition is the same heart of our Seedbed product, but cleaned up, tightened up, targeted, and updated via the amazing resources of Harper Collins. Some new data for sure, twelve more years of experience teaching this material, but still the same magic!

Is this only for theologians or Bible teachers?
Oh my goodness, no. I literally get texts and emails and letters and DM’s constantly from folk who have deployed this study in every context imaginable. There are folk who do it on their own, with their families, their home groups, student groups, military Bible studies abroad, huge Sunday School classes who put me on the “big” screen and retirement communities in the lounge. I have a dear one right now who is doing one of my studies with her long time Jewish friend who is apparently loving the chance to better understand her own Scriptures. Any one who wants to understand their Old Testament can jump into this one.

Can I use this in my church small group?
Absolutely. In addition to the emails and DM’s I also get pictures of study groups of every sorts (love that). And sometimes I get presents! As the streaming videos will play on the big screen, computer, or your TV these lectures can be shown anywhere. The study guide has been distilled into four study days per week. We’ve worked really hard to update and target the guide to make it as user-friendly as possible.

Why is it important that we study the Old Testament?
Now this is my question! Although there are certainly folk out there who would speak of the Old Testament as “the unfortunate preface to the part of the Bible that really matters,” reality is that the Old Testament is the first two-thirds of the great story of Redemption—first two thirds! Picking up the story of the Christian faith in Matthew chapter one can certainly be done, but it’s like picking up Harry Potter in book three. Or the Lord of the Rings in book two. There’s a reason that Matthew one starts with a genealogy. From the gospel writer’s perspective there is NOTHING more important or exciting about Jesus than that he is the son of David, the son of Abraham. It is my honor and privilege to introduce you to David and Abraham! I want you to know them as the real people that they were, to be able to put your Bible together so that you “get it,” to feel the Exodus story that shapes your story, and to have your heart absolutely break with joy when you realize that God the Son has come for us, the lost children of Adam, the exiles of Eden, the second Israel and his objective is to bring us home.

If I did this study before, should I do it again?
That is, of course, up to you. There are five other “Epic of Eden” studies that you could head to after this one. But I hear from folk all the time that they’ve done this particular study a number of times. This one is content heavy—it is not “Bible 101” for the thousandth time. There is likely always more you can get from it. AND if you want to push farther, check out the IVP book version of The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament that is also coming out in a 2nd edition soon.