Dr. Brevard S. Childs was a leading Old Testament scholar during the 20th century and Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School. This message is from a Spring Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It begins with a reading from Isaiah 45:5-8. The subject of the lecture was "Reading the Old Testament as Religious Literature." Dr. Childs addresses the influence of the historical-critical approach and the shifting landscape of the field of biblical studies, and he also sets out his own methodological approach to interpreting the Old Testament. He uses the biblical examples of the near sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 22, Moses killing an Egyptian from Exodus 2, and manna from heaven from Exodus 16 and Numbers 11.
Dr. John Keating Wiles was Assistant Professor of Old Testament at SEBTS. The scripture reading was from Isaiah 32:9-20. In this message, Dr. Wiles speaks from this passage of scripture, examining the difference between the prophetic message and that of "kings and managers." He exhorts listeners to be more like the prophetic message by maintaining a humanitarian focus as opposed to managerial concerns.