Thursday, March 15, 2018

In Appreciation of Walter Brueggemann

The most quoted contemporary Old Testament scholar is, arguably, Walter Brueggemann, and I am happy to be writing, finally, an article about this superlative scholar and articulate author, who celebrated his 85th birthday this past Sunday.
A Bit about Brueggemann
Born in Nebraska on March 11, 1933, Walter Brueggemann (WB) graduated from Eden Theological Seminary in Missouri—as did Reinhold Niebuhr before him. Then WB earned doctorates from both Union Theological Seminary and Saint Louis University. He was ordained in the United Church of Christ.
After 25 years as a professor at Eden, in 1986 WB moved to Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia where he served as a professor until his retirement in 2003—but he has continued to write and to speak profusely.
WB has authored some 60 books, including commentaries on several Old Testament books. His slim book Interrupting Silence: God’s Command to Speak Out was published in February, and his newest book A Gospel of Hope will be released the end of this month.
In addition to his steady stream of books, WB is already scheduled to be a “keynote presenter” at the American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ triennial meeting in Philadelphia this November—and he has at least nine scheduled speaking engagements between now and then, some for two or three days.
(I am looking forward to hearing him speak at Asbury UMC in Prairie Village, Kan., on April 6.)
A Bit about a Brueggemann Book
One of WB’s best-known books is The Prophetic Imagination. He wrote the preface to that book’s first edition during Lent in 1978; I recently read the second edition that was published in 2001.
In the preface of the latter, WB mentions that for him Abraham Heschel is “definingly important” (p. xv). But unlike Rabbi Heschel, the author of The Prophets whom I wrote about (here) in December, as a Christian scholar WB sees Jesus as “the fulfillment and quintessence of the prophetic tradition” (p. 102).
The purpose of WB’s The Prophetic Imagination is not just to help his readers understand the past. It is even more to help them see what prophetic ministry means in the present. Thus, he asserts,
The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us (p. 3).
The first chapter is mostly about the “alternative consciousness” that was fostered by Moses. That is contrasted in the second chapter with the “royal consciousness” of King Solomon. The latter largely became the “dominant consciousness”—and the target of the Old Testament prophets.
WB contends that “Solomon was able to counter completely the counterculture of Moses.” He did this partly by countering “the economics of equality with the economics of affluence” and “the politics of justice with the politics of oppression(p. 31).
The royal consciousness—then or now—doesn’t talk about anything new, so there is no hope for the future other than as an extension of the present, which is the continuation of the past. In contrast, WB emphasizes the “hope-filled language of prophecy” (p. 67). 

A Bit about BHO and DJT
As I was reading WB’s book, it seemed quite clear to me that the “Make America Great Again” slogan is an expression of the royal consciousness (emphasis on past glory and recovery of that past), which the prophets (including Jesus) opposed.
On the other hand, Obama emphasized newness and the “audacity of hope.” Although harshly criticized by the far right (because of his talk about “fundamental transformation”), at least to some extent BHO seems to have exhibited the prophetic imagination that still is so badly needed in the world today.


18 comments:

  1. Thanks, Leroy, as usual. When WB came to William Jewell College as Binns Lecturer, he was writing his Samuel commentary. He gave a series of the most penetrating lectures I think I've ever heard on King David's rise to power and his use and abuse of political power. We could benefit from listening to such lectures today, as well. In those days, the Binns Lectures were dying out in popularity (perhaps we no longer abused power and "strongly encouraged" students and faculty to attend). Anyway, that's one of the few I ever remember where attendance actually grew as the lectures progressed (perhaps Krister Stendahl's of a few years prior did, also). Thanks for evoking fond memories of earlier days at WJC.

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    1. Thanks, Milton, for sharing this; I was happy to get this personal word from someone who has heard and appreciated Brueggemann.

      I was not here to attend those lectures, so I am looking forward to hearing him for the first time next month at Asbury UMC.

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  2. The first comment received this morning was from a local Thinking Friend (and one of the most intelligent people I know). It was just this:

    "Apt applications, comparisons: BHO, DJT."

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  3. Marilyn Peot, another local Thinking Friend, shares this brief comment:

    "Thank you, Leroy. I read 'Prophetic Imagination' last year--and his take on alternate consciousness and alternate community that he applies to Jesus truly put so much into perspective for me."

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  4. WB was one of my professors at Eden Seminary. While he and I had some differences, I would have to concede that the most intellectually stimulating course I ever took was a course on Hebrew taught by Walt. He is a master wordsmith.

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    1. Thanks, Anton, for sharing this. I had forgotten that you had gone to Eden and probably had him for a professor. What you wrote made me wonder what kind of differences you might have had with him. Of course back then he was perhaps more liberal than you were.

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  5. Reading the highlighted quote about the "prophetic tasks" made me think of an article I read earlier today. Columnist Michael Gerson probably does not think of himself as a prophet, but what he wrote about his personal frustration as an Evangelical with the path Evangelicalism has taken sure sounded like prophecy. He gives a sweeping history from the 19th century onward, and reviews the painful details of how many thinking Evangelicals have abandoned the name as it has sunk into a political abyss. Being a member of a former Southern Baptist congregation, much of the story was sadly familiar. His article is in the April issue of the Atlantic at this link: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-last-temptation/554066/

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    1. Thanks for sharing this, Craig. I had that article up on my computer yesterday, but ended up not reading much of it because it was so long (24 pages to print out!). That is the frustration I find with articles in The Atlantic: they are usually good and well worth reading, but they are so long--and there is so much else to read also.

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  6. Yesterday afternoon I received comments from another local Thinking Friend, who also wrote rather briefly:

    "Very good. I do like Walter Brueggemann’s work, so it was very good to get some background on him. Good prophetic move at the end to challenge President Trump's Royal nostalgia!"

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    1. These comments were by Andrew Bolton, with whom I became friends just last year. After posting the above I received permission to post his name also. Thanks, Andrew!

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  7. Following the comments posted above from local Thinking Friends, yesterday evening I received the following powerful comment from Thinking Friend Glen Davis, a Canadian who lives in Vancouver:

    "Leroy, thanks for reminding me of WB, one of the great prophets of our time. His fearless speaking truth to power, along with his frequent reminders that we are to live out a theology of ABUNDANCE, not one of scarcity, have seen me through many times of discouragement and despair over the state of the church and the state of this world that seems to live so casually with the injustice, violence and suffering of the poor and marginalized.

    "God bless you and all our American friends as you try to be faithful witnesses to truth, integrity, compassion, inclusion and the lifegiving gospel during this dark time in your once great country."

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    1. Thanks so much for writing, Glen -- and thanks for the blessing. We here in the U.S. need prayers and support from our good neighbors in Canada!

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  8. Thinking Friend Dan Corl, an American friend who has long lived in the same Japanese city I lived in, gave me permission to post his comment sent by email:

    "My guides toward a fuller understanding of the Old Testament have been Abraham Heschel and Walter Brueggemann. I was introduced to Heschel in college, and Brueggemann was required reading at the Earlham School of Religion in the early eighties. Brueggemann spent three days at ESR as a visiting scholar, gave 4 stellar lectures, participated in discussions groups, and generally took part in the life of the community. I have found his work on the Psalms to be particularly insightful and empowering.

    "It should be noted that a number of his works have been translated into Japanese in the last few years, and he is gaining a wider readership as a result."

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    1. Thanks for writing, Dan. By the time I left Japan (in 2004), I don't think there were any of Brueggemann's book translated into Japanese and now, as you say, there are several (as I found on Amazon.co.jp) -- including "The Prophetic Imagination."

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  9. Thinking Friend Charles Kiker in Texas writes,

    "One of my favorite Brueggemann books is 'Finally Comes the Poet.' He talks about preaching poetically. Far too much preaching is prosaic theology."

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  10. Thanks for sharing this, Charles. -- I have just ordered from interlibrary loans his book of collected sermons.

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  11. Thinking Friend Graham Hales in Mississippi shares these comments:

    "This is a man that speaks to us with direct and disturbing voice. It is so hard to escape the bubbles in which we live. This is true politically and also in our religions.

    "I often wonder which Jesus many Christians follow and then, painfully, I have to ask myself which Jesus I follow. There are so many needs and so little to help out with them. My son in law replied to my questions of how he dealt with all the hunger and poverty in our world so often portrayed on TV. He answered that he could not deal with all of it but he could deal with some of it and he directed his gifts and efforts to the few he could impact and did not worry about the rest which are in the hands of God. I think his generous gifts and personal efforts in several parts of the world show how he has solved the problem for him."

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  12. Yesterday Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky sent these comments:

    "Walt Brueggemann is one of America’s most important prophetic voices, and I’m thankful that our paths have crossed. He has written with great power and perception.

    "I’m glad to see that some Baptists pay attention to him and am grateful you have taken note of his birthday. He recently spoke at an Alliance meeting at Crescent Hill Baptist, where I’m a member."

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