FN002. John Ortberg on Interpreting Genesis & What It Means to Be Chosen

What if understanding the ancient world could change the way you read Genesis?

In this episode of Footnotes, Jackson Lane sits down with John Ortberg to revisit John's conversation with Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III. Together, they explore how understanding biblical genre, ancient culture, and the questions Scripture was originally addressing can deepen our understanding of the Bible today.

John shares how discovering other ancient Near Eastern creation and flood stories initially threatened his faith. Over time, he came to see how God used familiar images and stories to communicate something radically different about who God is.

They also tackle one of the most debated questions in Genesis: Did the serpent actually speak? John explains why he believes God could make a snake talk, while questioning whether the writer of Genesis intended the story to be read as a literal historical account.

The conversation moves from creation and biblical interpretation to the central claims of Christian faith, the meaning of Israel's identity as God's chosen people, and what Abraham's calling reveals about God's purposes for the world.

In This Episode

• How discovering other ancient flood stories challenged and eventually strengthened John's faith

• What Tremper Longman means when he says, “Genre triggers reading strategy”

• Why Genesis describes the sun appearing on the fourth day of creation

• How ancient creation stories help us understand what makes Genesis distinctive

• Whether the serpent in Genesis was intended to be understood literally

• Why disagreements about biblical interpretation should be distinguished from Christianity's central claims

• What it means for Israel to be God's chosen people

• Why Abraham was chosen to bring blessing to all peoples

Resources Mentioned

• The Lost World of Adam and Eve by John H. Walton

• The Epic of Gilgamesh

• Formation Podcast EP002, John's original conversation with Tremper Longman III

About Footnotes

Footnotes is the conversation after the conversation. John Ortberg and Jackson Lane revisit Formation Podcast episodes to explore lingering questions, unpack important ideas, and go deeper into what it means to follow Jesus.

Listen to the full episode of Footnotes, FN002, and revisit the original conversation with Tremper Longman III on Formation Podcast.

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