Rating: 
Summary: Worth Reading and Rereading, But . . .
Review: Brueggemann has done it again! This is a highly engaging (and �venturesome�) volume overflowing with the rhetorical flourishes of a truly fertile imagination expressed through the pen of a poet. Reading and rereading it has driven me back to the pages of Scripture with a renewed thirst and a desire to again probe as deeply as possible the well of life.
But ...
Brueggemann is unfortunately trapped in the typical inconsistencies that attend postmodernist epistemological skepticism, naive advocacy of minority voices, and the drudging mire of deconstructionism. Thus, while he disavows "Enlightenment certainty," he writes with certainty of the "polyphonic" nature of the textual witnesses. Unfortunately, while he is willing to go an extra step to draw together the coherency of law and love (and rightly so!), he is unwilling to do so with so many other issues. His unwillingness to attempt to show a plausible compliment (rather than hastily settle with an alleged irreconcilable competition) between what he terms the witnesses of the text, evidences a certain prejudice on his part -- a prejudice smugly offered by so many fashionable postmodernists. Thus many of his proposals smack of reactionary rhetoric rather than the sober and considerate ruminations of the scholar-poet he truly is. But then again, in the words of Brueggemann, "there are no innocent texts" -- not even his.
Brueggemann�s railing against ecclesiastical "authoritarian reductionism" wearies the eyes at times; though we might just read him as warning us against overly deductive theological proposals (just as did von Rad and Eichrodt and others). In turn, he offers his own seemingly dogmatic proposals, especially as he exalts in an alleged plurality of witnesses (with great certainty, at that), as well as the purported virtue of the plurality of interpretive communities and proposals available to us (and that with a distinctly defensive posture). Of course, he is careful to couch his "observations" in the aesthetically appealing and disarming rhetoric for which he is so well-known and loved (even by me). (I must say that I do wish the "traditional" and conservative theologians were more rhetorically engaging -- even though Brueggemann does overwork our language at times, and his neologisms can be either instructive or strained.)
One final critical point: Brueggemann asserts that the OT provides all the ingredients for an engaging and world-opposing metanarrative (though neither he nor I appreciate that cumbersome term -- I prefer the streamlined, though dull, "worldview"). But due to his epistemological skepticism and socially reactionary attitude he does not think that the OT actually offers such a metanarrative -- only that it supplies all the ingredients necessary for one to construct in harmony with one's preferences. I suspect that if one were to be more willing to see the coherence of the diverse and dynamic witnesses in the texts, one would discover not only the ingredients for some arbitrary and localized metanarrative but the actual word of God that comprises a truly expansive and liberating metanarrative, a worldview to which we are called, commanded and commissioned to advocate in gospel proclamation.
In the end, I can only recommend that this volume be read and reread. But one must be careful not to be dragged unwittingly into the mire of postmodernist epistemological mumbo jumbo, critical inconsistencies, seemingly disingenuous rhetorical ploys, and self-stultifying dogmas. Read it. Read it again amd again with joy. But ... beware the postmodern poppycock.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking post-modern examination of OT theology
Review: Brueggemann is always a fascinating writer with a talent for bringing to surface the living remnants of the ancient texts of the OT. This a must read for anyone who seeks to familiarize his or herself with the OT and contemporary dialogue upon its contents. Brueggemann's book begins with at look past efforts to create a theology of the OT and present approaches to the text from leaders in the field. Even the first couple hundred pages make the book a worthy buy. It's introduction and presentation is excellent. The main content of the book takes a strikingly different tone, which casts off historical-critical details (but not the conclusions therefrom) and succeeds in presenting the testimonies of Israel in the OT. Cautiously attempting not to be too reductionist, he achieves an impressive accomplishment of showing the cohesive unity of the OT in its message. The dynamic I mostly enjoyed in this is work its ability to force you into facing some of the most haunting, exhilarating, and troubling aspects of Israel's testimony. Also recommended: Other Brueggemann books of interest and much short: Prophetic Imagination and Hopeful Imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Clear, challenging and stimulating
Review: Brueggemann's magnun opus is truly that - a great work. It is very clear and readable. So much so that I took it on holiday and read it by the pool! While I did not always agree with him, I certainly found that I could not ignore him. Ultimately it sent me back to the Old Testament with a renewed appetite for this strange yet familiar book, and with a fresh thirst for the God Who speaks through it. I can think of no higher praise for such a book.
Rating: 
Summary: A valiant post-modern attempt that falls a bit short
Review: I was a bit disappointed with Walter Brueggemann in this, his magnum opus, I presume. Brueggemann, while he has some great treatment of specific Old Testament texts that many evangelicals would agree with, he falls short in his methodology in this text. It comes across as a re-worked liberal Protestant approach to the Old Testament in post-modern verbage. I am left wondering if Brueggemann thinks the Old Testament is really God's revelatory Word in the most profound sense. It just isn't that clear. Brueggemann dismisses Brevard Childs' canonical criticism with too much ease as being modernistically foundationalist. Childs' canonical approach is probably the best middle way through the historical-critical/fundamentalist impasse. Brueggemann just lumps Childs in there almost as some brain-dead fundamentalist. Brueggemann's exegesis of particular texts is what saves the book and gives it some incredible insight that the author is so well-known for. But I think I will wait for the Old Testament trilogy of theology from John Goldingay (out at Fuller Seminary) before I dig much more into Brueggemann's attempt. Goldingay does a much better job grappling with the challenges of post-modernism than does Brueggemann in his more muddled methodology.
Rating:
Summary: A valiant post-modern attempt that falls a bit short
Review: I was a bit disappointed with Walter Brueggemann in this, his magnum opus, I presume. Brueggemann, while he has some great treatment of specific Old Testament texts that many evangelicals would agree with, he falls short in his methodology in this text. It comes across as a re-worked liberal Protestant approach to the Old Testament in post-modern verbage. I am left wondering if Brueggemann thinks the Old Testament is really God's revelatory Word in the most profound sense. It just isn't that clear. Brueggemann dismisses Brevard Childs' canonical criticism with too much ease as being modernistically foundationalist. Childs' canonical approach is probably the best middle way through the historical-critical/fundamentalist impasse. Brueggemann just lumps Childs in there almost as some brain-dead fundamentalist. Brueggemann's exegesis of particular texts is what saves the book and gives it some incredible insight that the author is so well-known for. But I think I will wait for the Old Testament trilogy of theology from John Goldingay (out at Fuller Seminary) before I dig much more into Brueggemann's attempt. Goldingay does a much better job grappling with the challenges of post-modernism than does Brueggemann in his more muddled methodology.
Rating: 
Summary: Methodological confusion detracts from otherwise subtle work
Review: I'm giving this book two stars mainly because Brueggemann makes a serious methodological error that is detectable as early as the Preface, and then disregards his own comments for the rest of the book. Here is what Brueggemann says on page xv of the Preface: "It is fair to say that much of the old critical consensus from which theological exposition confidently moved at mid-century is now unsettled, if not in disarray. A fresh theological exposition must work its way cautiously and provisionally in the midst of that enormous unsettlement. It is my judgment, however, that the unsettlement is not primarily a problem but is itself an important datum to be taken into account in fresh, venturesome efforts at Old Testament theology. It belongs to the nature of Old Testament theological interpretation that we are not permitted to be so sure as we once thought we were about such critical matters. This unsettlement is in part a result of our so-called postmodern epistemological situation. Underneath that reality, however, the unsettlement is a reflection of the nature of the Old Testament text itself and, speaking theologically, of the unsettled Character who stands at the center of the text. Thus the unsettlement is not simply a cultural or epistemological one, but in the end it is a theological one." So he is affirming here that any Old Testament theology must recognize an inherent unsettledness in the text, and even in Yahweh Himself, and not seek to resolve it. For by doing so one robs the text of its genuine character and seeks to put something artificial onto it. He goes on to state that there must be a pluralism of faith affirmations, a pluralism of methods, and a pluralism of interpretive communities. So far I have nothing to criticize really. One may disagree with postmodernism in terms of methodology, but at least he's been consistent so far. But his next move is directly contradictory to what he has just stated. He proposes to treat the milieu of voices in a courtroom setting, allowing for each voice to give its 'testimony.' He labels three stages in this process: Testimony, Dispute, and Advocacy. The Testimony section is consistent with the appeal to pluralism, but the next two stages proceed to erase this pluralism. In the Dispute phase a verdict must be rendered, "an affirmed rendering of reality and an accepted version of truth." Then in the Advocacy phase this verdict, "a Yahweh-dominated truth and a Yahweh-governed reality," is urged against all other truths that are "Yahweh-free." This is where Brueggemann's method falls apart as he tries to hold on to postmodern terminology while still playing the modernist game. The rest of the book actually avoids coming to any distinct verdicts, and so the whole model which the Preface sets up is never actually followed through, even though it is laid out as the most important feature of his approach. It would seem from his initial comments that what he really wants to have is just the first stage, a perpetual open forum of voices and dialogue. The 'verdict' elements goes completely in the opposite direction, and so I find myself wondering why he thought that such a model would be so helpful. Otherwise, the book has a lot of interesting things to say, and I'm not suggesting that it has no value. Simply take what good you can from it. I just think that Brueggemann needs to address his own internal leanings more fully before presenting this material in such a programmatic way.
Rating:
Summary: Pastors: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: On the dust-jacket of my copy of "The Works of Jonathan Edwards" is this endorsement by Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "If I had the power I would make these two volumes compulsory reading for all ministers!" Well, that's exactly how I feel about Brueggemann's "Theology of the Old Testament." It's simply the best, most relevant, most useful book I have ever read, on any subject related to the Christian life. Brueggemann opens doors to reading and interpreting the Bible (Old and New Testaments) with deep faithfulness, bold imagination, and scathing criticism of the culture in which we find ourselves. His critique of both liberal and conservative approaches to the Bible is refreshingly egalitarian. Brueggemann's agenda is to listen attentively to all the diverse (and divergent) voices within the Old Testament, seeking truth in the midst of these "disputes," but without attempting to harmonize them or produce a "systematic" theology. This approach is astonishing in its relevance to our current situation: the advent of post-modernism with its emphasis on pluralism and relativized, deconstructed truth; the disestablishment, indeed exile, of the American Church; and the dominant Western "metanarrative" of "military consumerism." Though I disagree with some of the ideas presented, I am far richer and better for having read this book. Brueggemann himself would be the first to invite readers to dispute both his method and his conclusions. My acid test for ministry books: "Give me something I can use!" This material is far more than useful, it's transformational. Every aspect of my faith and my professional life has been affected: my preaching, teaching, pastoral care, even my praying (see chapter 15, "The Human Person as Yahweh's Partner," for a description of an alternative, faithful way to be a human being in the midst of our culture of death and denial. It contains everything seminary didn't, but should have, taught me about what a pastor's job is.). The Ten Commandments and even the book of Deuteronomy have been restored to my agenda as a pastor. This book is a life-changing and ministry-shaping gift. It is truly "pastoral" theology - that is, theology done to shape ministry and life. Thank you, Dr. Brueggemann, for teaching (reminding) me that pastoral ministry begins and ends with good theology, and that good theology is found in the questions asked, not just in the conclusions reached. Pastors, seminarians, and anyone else who wants to learn how to read and use the Bible to transform your life and your work - grab this book and devour it!
Rating:
Summary: Pastors: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: On the dust-jacket of my copy of "The Works of Jonathan Edwards" is this endorsement by Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "If I had the power I would make these two volumes compulsory reading for all ministers!" Well, that's exactly how I feel about Brueggemann's "Theology of the Old Testament." It's simply the best, most relevant, most useful book I have ever read, on any subject related to the Christian life. Brueggemann opens doors to reading and interpreting the Bible (Old and New Testaments) with deep faithfulness, bold imagination, and scathing criticism of the culture in which we find ourselves. His critique of both liberal and conservative approaches to the Bible is refreshingly egalitarian. Brueggemann's agenda is to listen attentively to all the diverse (and divergent) voices within the Old Testament, seeking truth in the midst of these "disputes," but without attempting to harmonize them or produce a "systematic" theology. This approach is astonishing in its relevance to our current situation: the advent of post-modernism with its emphasis on pluralism and relativized, deconstructed truth; the disestablishment, indeed exile, of the American Church; and the dominant Western "metanarrative" of "military consumerism." Though I disagree with some of the ideas presented, I am far richer and better for having read this book. Brueggemann himself would be the first to invite readers to dispute both his method and his conclusions. My acid test for ministry books: "Give me something I can use!" This material is far more than useful, it's transformational. Every aspect of my faith and my professional life has been affected: my preaching, teaching, pastoral care, even my praying (see chapter 15, "The Human Person as Yahweh's Partner," for a description of an alternative, faithful way to be a human being in the midst of our culture of death and denial. It contains everything seminary didn't, but should have, taught me about what a pastor's job is.). The Ten Commandments and even the book of Deuteronomy have been restored to my agenda as a pastor. This book is a life-changing and ministry-shaping gift. It is truly "pastoral" theology - that is, theology done to shape ministry and life. Thank you, Dr. Brueggemann, for teaching (reminding) me that pastoral ministry begins and ends with good theology, and that good theology is found in the questions asked, not just in the conclusions reached. Pastors, seminarians, and anyone else who wants to learn how to read and use the Bible to transform your life and your work - grab this book and devour it!
Rating: 
Summary: God Seeker
Review: Seems like WB method is nothing new - testimony - dispute - advocacy. Sounds like Hegel's - thesis -antithesis - synthesis ? WB like Purdue and others see the collapse of history as a way of understanding ancient Israel,but if all we have left are words,who would want to trust a god who talks but doesn't do anything ?
Rating:
Summary: Their Coming to Take Me Away, Oh My !
Review: So this is the best in contemporary Old Testament scholarship ? Brueggemans marketing "blurbs" ultimately suffer the same fate that he himself inflicts on the text of the Old Testament;utter evisceration of ontological content - his effort is one of image and not substance.How in the world postmodern scholars can resort to "rhetorical" analysis of anyones text (rendering it empty of any correspondance with ultimate reality)and then with their own text pawn such analysis off on unsuspecting readers as being somehow more "real" is beyond me.
Any insight one might gain from his rehearsal of the history of theological methodologies on the one hand is - by applying his own principles toward his own text - ironically supported by feet that are firmly planted in mid air on the other. Just as he heralds the tentativity and characteristic need for "open ended" and continued conversation with regard to the Theology of the Old Testament, his own effort must not be taken with any additional seriousness or certainty. In other words, if there can be no closure regarding the Old Testaments veracity (ontological reality and historical truthfulness), meaning, or significance, but only an appreciation of an intertextual rhetoric supported by Brueggemanns own rhetorical flourish, as far as I'm concerned the entire project substitutes sheer madness for scholarship.
Even his attempt to regain some contact with reality, by encouraging readers to perhaps enter into and continue the "Testimony, Dispute, and Advocacy" pursuit of the so-called followers of Yahweh, is sabotaged by his conflation of alonestanding "rhetoric" with reality itself.
If you want an Old Testament/Postmodern Theological hallucinative experience under the auspices of scholarship; look no further. However, if you prefer sober reality where truth can still be known Christian orthodoxy can see you coming.
Accordingly, in todays academy you may not prove to be popular, but it will sure be nice knowing that you're not one of the "inmates" that are now running the asylum!
|
