Reality, Grief, Hope: Three urgent
prophetic tasks
Walter Brueggemann
Eerdmans £10.99
(978-0-8028-7072-8)
Church Times Bookshop £9.90
IF YOU are an American Christian looking for a self-flagellating
read, this is the book for you. Walter Brueggemann's aim is to call
American Christians to prophetic action. The Church is to reject
the ideology of American exceptionalism and embrace a narrative of
neighbourly relationship.
The argument is based around a "dynamic analogy". It compares
the attitude of the Jerusalem elite in the run-up and aftermath of
the city's destruction in 587 BCE to the self-perception of the US
in the wake of 9/11. In 165 pages, Brueggemann argues that an
"imperial" ideology leading to denial of reality and despair can be
countered only by the prophetic announcement of realism, grief, and
hope. Fundamentally, he is asking readers what it means to be a
Christian in the US.
As an extended sermon against a particular vision of American
society (national security, self-interested government, and
markets), this book is a good and thought-provoking read. Further,
Brueggemann's comments on the Church's relationship with Psalms of
lament will repay careful consideration. Do not, however, expect
this to be a work of biblical exegesis. This is a manifesto that
uses biblical texts for an (often strained) analogy with the
present: can 9/11 really be compared to the impact of the
destruction of Jerusalem on Israelite religion?
Readers need to keep a critical eye on the context of
Brueggemann's biblical citations: he often uses Amos as a critique
of the Jerusalem elite, although the passages cited are directed
against the northern kingdom and cult. Similarly, Brueggemann
refers to a wide array of contemporary scholarship to bolster his
argument with-out critically engaging with some of its more dubious
assertions. For example, in chapter five he cites a string of
scholars who claim that St Paul's letters are a coded attack on
Rome and the empire. But he never deals with the methodological
problem underlying all of these works: there is no evidence that St
Paul wrote in code.
Who is the book aimed at? While activists will find plenty to
engage with, I doubt a parish book club would be rewarded for its
efforts in reading it. Brueggemann is not systematic in his
identification of sources, and hops without constraint through the
Bible in utilising material. Its American focus raises some
pertinent issues for British readers, but there are many
dissimilarities as well. And readers on this side of the pond may
need to have Wikipedia to hand to understand several unexplained
cultural references.
Jonathon Wright is an ordinand at St Stephen's House,
Oxford, and a D.Phil. student.