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Walter Brueggemann (born March 11, 1933) is an American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian who is widely considered one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades. His work often focuses on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argues that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.


Career

Brueggemann was born in Tilden, Nebraska in 1933. He received an A.B. from
Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July 1, 2020. Hist ...
(1955), a B.D. from
Eden Theological Seminary Eden Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Webster Groves, Missouri, near St. Louis, Missouri. The seminary was established in 1850 by German pastors in what was then the American frontier. The pastors soon formed ...
(1958), a Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary, New York (1961), and Ph.D. from Saint Louis University (in 1974). The son of a minister of the
German Evangelical Synod of North America The Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German ''(Deutsche) Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika'', was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th c ...
, he was ordained in the United Church of Christ. He was professor of Old Testament (1961–1986) and Dean (1968–1982) at Eden Theological Seminary. Beginning in 1986, he served as William Marcellus McPheeters professor of Old Testament at
Columbia Theological Seminary Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Geor ...
, from which he retired in the early 2000s. Brueggemann currently resides in Traverse City, Michigan (2020). He is the editor of Journal for Preachers.


Thought

Brueggemann is an advocate and practitioner of rhetorical criticism. He has written more than 58 books, hundreds of articles, and several commentaries on books of the Bible. He is also a contributor to a number of the
Living the Questions Living the Questions (LtQ) is a “DVD and web-based curriculum" designed to help people evaluate the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century. Living the Questions was co-created by the Arizonan United Methodist ministers Jeff Procter-Mur ...
DVD programs and is featured in the program "Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today." Brueggemann participated in
Bill Moyers Bill Moyers (born Billy Don Moyers, June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. Under the Johnson administration he served from 1965 to 1967 as the eleventh White House Press Secretary. He was a director of the Counci ...
' 1990s
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...
television series on
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
(documented in ''Genesis: A Living Conversation.'' Main Street Books, 1997. ). Originally a strong supporter of modern day Israel and its biblical claims, Brueggemann later repudiated Israel for its exploitation of "ancient promises" to create a "toxic ideology," and now affirms his belief that it is not
anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
to stand up for justice for
Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
s. Brueggemann is known throughout the world for his method of combining literary and sociological modes when reading the Bible. V. S. Parrish categorized Brueggemann as being an
exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretations ...
and theologian. As an exegete he has composed several commentaries (Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Samuel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah). His most notable work was on the book of Psalms, and he has written many monographs and articles on specific portions of the Hebrew Bible. For example, he believes that lament is lacking in current religious faith and practice with detrimental results according to the subject. As a theologian he has been an editor for the Fortress Press series "Overtures to Biblical Theology". His development of Old Testament theological methods consists of literary mode, social function, and dialectical approach. Titles such as "David's Truth in Israel's Imagination and Memory" (1985), "Power, Providence and Personality" (1990), "1 Kings and 2 Kings" (1982c), "The Prophetic Imagination" (1978), and "Hopeful Imagination" (1986) reflect his interest in the prophetic corpus.


Honors

Among his honors are: *LL.D., DePauw University, 1984 *D.D., Virginia Theological Seminary, 1988 *D.H.Litt., Doane College, 1990 *D.D., Jesuit School of Theology, 1993 *D.Litt., Colgate University, 1997 *D.H.Litt., Elmhurst College, 1997 *D.D., Huron University College, 2014 There is also a '' festschrift'' in his honor: ''God in the Fray: A Tribute to Walter Brueggemann'' (eds. Tod Linafelt and
Timothy Beal Timothy K. Beal (born 1963) is a writer and scholar in the field of religious studies whose work explores matters of religion, media, and American culture, past and present. He is Distinguished University Professor, Florence Harkness Professor of R ...
, Minneapolis: Fortress Press).


Publications

* *''Advent/Christmas; Proclamation 3: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year, Series B''. Edited by
Elizabeth Achtemeier Elizabeth Rice Achtemeier (June 11, 1926 – October 25, 2002) was an American ordained Presbyterian minister, Bible professor, and author. Early life and education Born Elizabeth Rice on June 11, 1926 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Achtemeier was rai ...
. Fortress Press, 1984. * * *''Belonging and Growing in the Christian Community''. Edited by Elizabeth McWhorter. General Assembly Mission Board, Presbyterian Church in the United States, 1979. *''The Bible Makes Sense''. St Mary's College Press, 1977. **---. 2d ed. Franciscan Media, 2003, * *"The Book of Exodus". In ''The New Interpreter's Bible''. Vol. 1. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. ISBN. *''The Book That Breathes New Life: Scriptural Authority and Biblical Theology''. 2005. ISBN. ** * * * *''Confirming Our Faith'', Chapters 4,5,7,8,9,18; edited by Larry E Kalp. United Church Press, 1980. *''Confronting the Bible: A Resource and Discussion Book for Youth''. United Church Press, 1968. * * **---. 2d ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. ISBN. *''Deuteronomy: Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries''. Abingdon Press, 2001. ISBN. *''Divine Presence amid Violence: Contextualizing the Book of Joshua''. Cascade Books, 2009. . *''Easter; Proclamation 4 (Series A)''. Fortress Press, 1989. *''Ethos and Ecumenism: The History of Eden Theological Seminary, 1925-1970''. Eden Publishing House, 1975. *''The Evangelical Catechism Revisited, 1847-1972''. Eden Publishing House, 1972. *''Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews, and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land''. Synergy Books, 2010. . Foreword to the book by Mark Braverman. * * *''I Kings (Knox Preaching Guides)''. Edited by John H Hayes. John Knox Press, 1982. *''II Kings (Knox Preaching Guides)''. Edited by John H Hayes. John Knox Press, 1982. *''1 & 2 Kings: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary''. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2000. * * * *''In Man We Trust: The Neglected Side of Biblical Faith''. John Knox Press, 1972. . * * * * * *With George R Beasley-Murray, ''Jeremiah: Faithfulness in the Midst of Fickleness''. The Newell Lectureships II edited by Timothy Dwyer. Warner Press, Inc, 1993. * *''The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith''. Fortress Press, 1977, **---. 2d ed. Overtures to Biblical Theology. Fortress Press, 2002. . *''Living toward a Vision: Biblical Reflections on Shalom''. United Church Press, 1976, 1982. *''Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church''. Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. *''Many Voices, One God: Being Faithful in a Pluralistic World''. Co-Edited with
George Stroup George W. Stroup (born 1944) is J.B. Green Professor Emeritus of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He is married to Dr. Donna Fox Stroup, a mathematical statistician. Biography Stroup ...
Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. * * * * * * * *''Praying the Psalms''. St Mary's College Press, 1982. ** *''The Prophetic Imagination''. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1978. ISBN. ** * *''Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks''. Eerdmans, 2014. *''The Renewing Word''. Edited by Elmer JF Arndt. United Church Press, 1968. *''Revelation and Violence: A Study in Contextualization; 1986 Pere Marquette Theology Lecture''. Marquette University Press, 1986. * * *''A Social Reading of the Old Testament: Prophetic Approaches to Israel's Communal Life''. Edited by Patrick D Miller. Fortress Press, 1994. * * *With Charles Cousar et al., ''Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year A''. Westminster/John Knox, 1995. *With Charles Cousar et al., ''Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year B''. Westminster/John Knox, 1993. * *''The Theology of the Book of Jeremiah''. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006. ISBN. ** *''Theology of the Old Testament''. Fortress Press, 2005. ISBN. ** * *''To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly''. (With Sharon Parks and Thomas H. Groome). Paulist Press, 1986. **---. WIPF & Stock, 1997. *''To Build, to Plant: A Commentary on Jeremiah 26–52: International Theological Commentary on the Old Testament''. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1991. *''To Pluck Up, to Tear Down: A Commentary on the Book of Jeremiah 1–25: International Theological Commentary on the Old Testament''. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988. *''Tradition for Crisis: A Study in Hosea''. John Knox Press, 1968. * * *''The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions''. John Knox Press, 1975. ** *''What Are Christians For? An Enquiry into Obedience and Dissent''. Pflaum-Standard, 1971.


References


External links


A look at Walter Brueggemann on biblical authorityWalter Brueggemann and the role of imagination in Biblical theologyWalter Brueggemann WebsiteFaculty Emeriti Directory, Columbia Theological Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brueggemann, Walter 1933 births Living people American biblical scholars American Christian theologians United Church of Christ ministers Elmhurst College alumni Eden Theological Seminary alumni Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Saint Louis University alumni Columbia Theological Seminary faculty Old Testament scholars People from Tilden, Nebraska