Chapter 21
Walter Brueggemann was a scholar, a preacher and a poet of the prophetic imagination. He was also a restless witness to the unsettling grace of God. Like his father, he was rooted in the evangelical tradition of German Pietism that continued to be his theological habitat.
He was never content with easy answers or neat theology. His unmistakable voice, full of cadence and courage, called the Church to remember who it was: to resist the empire, to lament honestly and to hope defiantly. He taught us that Scripture is not a dead book, but a living, breathing conversation: disruptive, daring and full of possibility.
Walter died peacefully at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City, Michigan on June 5, 2025 at the age of 92.
Ten quotes of disruption and grace
One; The deep places in our lives – places of resistance and embrace – are reached only by stories, by images, metaphors and phrases that line out the world differently, apart from our fear and hurt.
Two; Hope does not need to silence the rumblings of crisis to be hope.
Three; People notice peacemakers because they dress funny. We know how the people who make war dress – in uniforms and medals, or in computers and clipboards, or in absoluteness, severity, greed, and cynicism. But the peacemaker is dressed in righteousness, justice, and faithfulness – dressed for the work that is to be done.
Four; The power of the future lies not in the hands of those who believe in scarcity but of those who trust God’s abundance.
Five; Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously
Six; The hope that must be spoken is hope rooted in the assurance that God does not quit even when the evidence warrants his quitting
Seven; We pray because our lives are too fragile for us not to pray. We lament because God is too faithful for us to be silent.
Eight; The gospel is not just good news. It is disruptive news
Nine; Jesus is the embodiment of God’s alternative to the dominant script of anxiety, fear, and violence
Ten; Grief is the dismantling of the old regime in the presence of God
Walter Brueggemann’s voice will continue to resonate long after his death. At a time when the Church and the world are struggling to speak the truth, he reminded us that authentic faith is unpolished, poetic and deeply political. He gave us more than theology; he provided us with language for resistance, grief and hope. May we carry his words forward not as relics, but as a source of inspiration and courage.
Philemon