God in the Fray: A Tribute to Walter Brueggemann

Rating:
Summary: Walter Brueggemann is a Master.
Review: A Master that thousands have either read or had the privilege to study under over the last three decades. The author of more than 25 books, many consider him "to be the most seminal Old Testament Theologian since Eichrodt and von Rad." God in the Fray is a tribute to Walter Brueggemann, edited by two former pupils (both of whom are now professors of biblical or religious studies). It is not common for students to publish a tribute to their teacher. This act alone speaks of Brueggemann's accomplishment and mastery.

"Master" is a word not often used in today's technologically dominated society. A Master is known by the width and depth of the wisdom and truth they emanate. They are able to present truth in such a way that it is directly applicable to the lives of their listeners. A master in theology is one who has the ability to make complex old paradigms understandable and shows how the application of these maxims has the power to transform both thinking and structure itself.

In God in the Fray, twenty-one accomplished theologians have engaged Brueggemann's thinking and theology and give their own interpretation to an often controversial and challenging scholar. Dr. Walter Brueggemann is complex, odd and unsettling in his understanding of Yahweh. His faith and theology are never static, rather continually on the move, challenging, probing and often perplexing. He relentlessly seeks out "a fresh articulation of whom God is," for he believes that the church and its future rest on a fresh understanding and pronouncement of God. Brueggemann, who like the very God he follows, resists fitting into any comfortable systematic category. He is constantly pressing boundaries, challenging old God images and pulling down contemporary idolatrous icons in order that a new awareness will grasp the believer, and in doing so transform the society in which the church lives. Most contributors to God in the Fray have the pulse of Brueggemann, but some fret over his theological condition. Their concern is akin to a medical doctor saying, "ah, if he would just stabilize we could better define his condition."

As with any anthology most authors illuminate the subject, while some tend to obscure; one writer will prophetically speak into your life, while the next author may drone and ramble. Thus, God in the Fray is an anthology, giving tribute to a great man and master. Recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Walter Brueggemann is a Master.
Review: A Master that thousands have either read or had the privilege to study under over the last three decades. The author of more than 25 books, many consider him "to be the most seminal Old Testament Theologian since Eichrodt and von Rad." God in the Fray is a tribute to Walter Brueggemann, edited by two former pupils (both of whom are now professors of biblical or religious studies). It is not common for students to publish a tribute to their teacher. This act alone speaks of Brueggemann's accomplishment and mastery.

"Master" is a word not often used in today's technologically dominated society. A Master is known by the width and depth of the wisdom and truth they emanate. They are able to present truth in such a way that it is directly applicable to the lives of their listeners. A master in theology is one who has the ability to make complex old paradigms understandable and shows how the application of these maxims has the power to transform both thinking and structure itself.

In God in the Fray, twenty-one accomplished theologians have engaged Brueggemann's thinking and theology and give their own interpretation to an often controversial and challenging scholar. Dr. Walter Brueggemann is complex, odd and unsettling in his understanding of Yahweh. His faith and theology are never static, rather continually on the move, challenging, probing and often perplexing. He relentlessly seeks out "a fresh articulation of whom God is," for he believes that the church and its future rest on a fresh understanding and pronouncement of God. Brueggemann, who like the very God he follows, resists fitting into any comfortable systematic category. He is constantly pressing boundaries, challenging old God images and pulling down contemporary idolatrous icons in order that a new awareness will grasp the believer, and in doing so transform the society in which the church lives. Most contributors to God in the Fray have the pulse of Brueggemann, but some fret over his theological condition. Their concern is akin to a medical doctor saying, "ah, if he would just stabilize we could better define his condition."

As with any anthology most authors illuminate the subject, while some tend to obscure; one writer will prophetically speak into your life, while the next author may drone and ramble. Thus, God in the Fray is an anthology, giving tribute to a great man and master. Recommend.