Hopeful Imagination

Great book.

Nothing stirs your mind and heart like reading Brueggemann. More of the same.

This paperback, a sequel to his "Prophetic Imagination", does an excellent job of integrating scholarship with contemorary insights into how these prophetic writings relate to current American life. I have used it successfully as a text in my university and theological seminary courses and believe it to be one of the best texts on the prophets of the exile. I will be using it next month in an adult Biblical class in a church. Dr. Brueggemann was a mentor and advisor of mine at Eden Theological Seminary in St.Louis and is one of the most prolific Old Testament writers today. A must for O.T. interpreters!

This is the second book I have read by Brueggemann on the role of the Prophetic in the life of the Kingdom of God. He uses the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and what he terms `second' Isaiah as his source texts, and with them he puts forward a highly plausable, and yet quite incredible argument for the legitimation of the prophetic role within the church.His theme in dealing with Jeremiah is principally grief. If we want the new thing that God wants to bring about, we must first grieve over the old state. That old state of sin and rigid structure, where God has become a rubber stamp for the wishes of the "managers of the Status quo." God will not put new wine in old wine skins. To bring in the new he will first dismantle the old and then cause new birth and new life to occur. This part I believe has some major things to say to the church of New Zealand (and possibly to the whole western church structure) right now. The church is coming to the end of a life cycle where the `modern' style and structures are becoming redundant, along with those who try to support them. All too often the ministers and pastors of New Zealand churches are in their 50's and 60's, and they appear to have little understanding of the new structures required to cater for the up and coming `post modern' mind set. Brueggeman contends that many of these church leaders are like those leaders in Jeremiah's time who thought that they could maintain the present religious structure of their day. But God had the exile in mind.Brueggemann then looks at Ezekiel who was a priest. His concern is with holiness and purity and doing things God's way. These chapters are tough to read as they start with personal holiness (by implication) and then shine the spot light squarely upon the church. Ezekiel was sent to the people of God, and his criticism of the lack of holiness is aimed at them, and at us the church.The last part of the book is one about memory, and remembering what God has done in the past andthen using those memories as a spark of hope for the future. We are not to live in the "eternal today", as the purveyors of maintaining the present structures would want. We are to remember our past, and hope for the future that God promises. Only then will change occur, when the church starts dreaming of a different future than the one presently presented. The change from our ways to God's ways will hurt, cause grief, be about purity and refining, but will result in purpose and hope and a church that can fulfill her calling. Brueggemann contents that the function of the church is that of a holy community that models holiness and compassion, being governed by the will and methods of the Kingdom of God.The book has been quite life changing for me. It has opened my eyes to so much of the purpose of the prophetic, it's hassles and joys, and has caused me to have hope for our church and our national church community. It has also given me understanding as to why so many churches (including my own)