"The Old Testament is not a Christian book; this book on the theology of the Old Testament is a Christian book, at least in the sense that it is written by a professing Christian mostly for professing Christians. I make no effort to conceal my Christianity and in some instances I have sat in Christian judgment on Old Testament writers, for the Christian faith makes demands which are incompatible even with the religion of the prophets. I wish to present the truth that the Christian faith has the religion of the prophets as one of its components. . . I have tried more or less to suggest that the Christian faith arose-or rather erupted-out of a historical experience and not out of a development of doctrines. That historical experience I describe by the well-worn tag of "encounter with God." . . . I have given what appear to be valid reasons why the Christian must accept this heritage. It is a heritage with which the Church has never lived comfortably, and possibly living comfortably is an objective which we should not seek. Possibly the purpose of the Old Testament in the Church is to make the Church uncomfortable."