Dear friends,
One of this country’s most well-respected Biblical scholars and theologians died today. Walter Brueggemann was undoubtedly the preeminent Christian Old Testament scholar of the last decades. He published dozens of books and articles and frequently lectured at events around the country, including at St. Dunstan’s. I’ll get to that in a minute.
Long before I knew Walter in person I knew his work. He gave a lecture series at Sewanee when I was in seminary and his books were required reading. My first personal contact with him came many years ago. I had written an op-ed for the AJC. That afternoon I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang. I answered it and heard a voice, “Patricia, this is Walter Brueggemann. That was a fine piece you had in the paper today.” I was stunned. Think of a high school garage band getting a call from Bruce Springsteen telling them he liked their music. It was that kind of stunned.
I later got to know Walter. He was the Old Testament professor at Columbia Seminary, a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur. I often attended his continuing ed classes. I invited him to come speak at St. Dunstan’s for a Lenten Lecture series, which he did. I have forgotten what the lectures were about, but I remember this. We served dinner before the talks. Many important scholars would have skipped the dinner and come in right before the lecture was to begin. Not Walter. He came early so that he could chat with people as they came in. I saw him do that at other conferences and lectures.
Those two examples say volumes about the man. He was respectful of and interested in the people in the pews. He also respected parish clergy. He told me one time that he went into academics because he didn’t think he could handle being a parish pastor. “It’s a life of constant interruption,” he said. He’s right; it is. In fact, I’ve been interrupted while writing this.
If you didn’t attend those long ago lectures, but still think his name rings a bell it’s because I often quote him in sermons and in Sunday School. His writings have shaped me more than any other Biblical scholar. I have a post-it note above my desk with a quote from him:
“The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.” He did all three of those things.
Brueggemann’s death comes just two months after the death of theologian Douglas John Hall, whose writings also helped form me. The first book of his that I read (for Joe’s class) was Thinking the Faith. I remember reading the first pages and being so excited by them that I called a classmate. “Are you really calling me at 11 p.m. to talk about theology?” she said. I was.
My good friend Hazel Glover, who preached at Joe’s funeral, began her homily was this quote from Thinking the Faith:
“Jesus says in his society there is a new way for people to live:
you show wisdom by trusting people;
you handle leadership by serving;
you handle offenders by forgiving;
you handle money by sharing;
you handle enemies by loving;
and you handle violence by suffering.
In fact you have a new attitude toward everything, toward everybody. Toward nature, toward the state in which you happen to live, toward women, toward all and every single thing. Because this is a Jesus society and you repent, not by feeling bad, but by thinking different.”
I give thanks today to these for the lives and works of Walter Brueggemann and Douglas John Hall. And for the life and teaching of Joe Monti, who introduced me to both of them.
With love,
Tricia
