Texts That Linger Words That Explode

by Walter Brueggemann

These studies on the prophetic texts from the Hebrew Bible cover a wide range of topics, challenging the reader to confront the issues of faithfulness, responsibility, and justice in an ever-changing world. Brueggemann explores how these prophetic traditions have the potential to continually resonate in our contemporary communities and individual lives. Rather than "dead words" to kingdoms no longer in existence, the Israelite and Judean prophets have an enduring impact on how God challenges our values, our perspectivesand our very lives. Brueggemann has become well known for providing fresh perspective on ancient texts, always in conversation with great thinkers and people of faith.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2000

About the author

Walter Brueggemann was an American Christian scholar and theologian who is widely considered an influential Old Testament scholar. His work often focused on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and the sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argued that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.

Reviews

[Sharon Ginley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first book of this 3-book series of collected lectures, The Covenanted Self, Walter Brueggemann discussed creation in covenant with Creator―especially regarding the life-giving words of the Ten Commandments of the Sinai Covenant and their later interpretation by Jesus of Nazareth as the Great Commandment to love God, Neighbor, and self. In Texts that Linger, Words that Explode, the second group of considerations of (mostly) texts from the Hebrew scriptures, the author emphasizes prophetic words, warnings, and promises from the Hebrew bible, relates them to the "fully-texted" [page 8] community of the New Testament, and insists upon the ongoing necessity of obedient, covenantal life in our own commodity-saturated context.

It's a logical continuation to contemplate dangers and outcomes of not following the Spirit of the Sinai Covenant, of not living justly with one another and with all creation, of not making God and neighbor a priority, of succumbing to temptations of fear, anxiety, and those still-present spurious allurements of consumerism and bling. As he almost always does, Walter Brueggemann reminds us the baptized, gospeled, "fully texted" community in which we gather around word and sacrament is the foundation of our own lives in resistance to death-dealing temptations, in embrace of resurrection-risking obedience. It's impossible to highlight and cite the 80% - 90% of everything in this series I found important, so I trust you'll consider reading these books for yourself. Deep Memory, Exuberant Hope, is the third and last book of the series.

[Raymond Joshwa]

Great book.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first book of this 3-book series of collected lectures, The Covenanted Self, Walter Brueggemann discussed creation in covenant with Creator―especially regarding the life-giving words of the Ten Commandments of the Sinai Covenant and their later interpretation by Jesus of Nazareth as the Great Commandment to love God, Neighbor, and self. In Texts that Linger, Words that Explode, the second group of considerations of (mostly) texts from the Hebrew scriptures, the author emphasizes prophetic words, warnings, and promises from the Hebrew bible, relates them to the "fully-texted" [page 8] community of the New Testament, and insists upon the ongoing necessity of obedient, covenantal life in our own commodity-saturated context. It's a logical continuation to contemplate dangers and outcomes of not following the Spirit of the Sinai Covenant, of not living justly with one another and with all creation, of not making God and neighbor a priority, of succumbing to temptations of fear, anxiety, and those still-present spurious allurements of consumerism and bling. As he almost always does, Walter Brueggemann reminds us the baptized, gospeled, "fully texted" community in which we gather around word and sacrament is the foundation of our own lives in resistance to death-dealing temptations, in embrace of resurrection-risking obedience. It's impossible to highlight and cite the 80% - 90% of everything in this series I found important, so I trust you'll consider reading these books for yourself. Deep Memory, Exuberant Hope, is the third and last book of the series.

[Gary Froseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Brueggemann powerfully explores texts that linger through the tradition until they encounter the proper historical circumstance that allows new meaning to explode for the sake of the marginalized. Another excellent read!