Sunday, May 14, 2006
The Prophetic Imagination
I have heard Walter Brueggemann speak before and had read bits and pieces of his work, but after hearing him speak again last weekend at FBC Augusta I picked up my copy of The Prophetic Imagination and began reading. I had read a bit before, but after hearing him speak I seemed to be more in tune with his language and it seemed much more approachable this time around. After a while, the language actually became something I enjoyed. It is poetic and very inspirational.
I have to admit that this may be one of the most important books I've read in years. I don't think I can ever read the bible and particularly the Old Testament the same way again. Through the lens of Walter Brueggemann, the Bible is a beautifully subversive political document that describes the hope of a new type of neighborhood/community/covenant full of justice, love, and peace.
The first thing I learned from this book is that prophetic doesn't mean telling the future. Prophets are people that create radical social, political, and religious dissention using poetic language to inspire action. I struggle to function in a religious environment that still understands prophetic utterance to be some magical prediction of the future or divine revelation of events.
One aspect of the book that struck me as profound is that the royal consciousness (Imperial power) plays to our sense of despair. Despair and hopelessness is a key component to the continuation of the status quo and the entrenched powers of domination systems. I think that Christianity has bought into this by morphing its theology to insist that this life is doomed and has no chance of being saved. We have been taught that this life itself is evil and the only hope we have is in what may happen in the next life. That view of salvation leads to disempowerment which leads to despair which leads to apathy.
Today we face many types of Empire. Unlike the Empires of Egypt, Rome, and Nazi Germany, the empires that we face in today's western culture are less definitive. Those older historical empires didn't particularly hide their agenda to be empires. They were very proud of the status. Empire today is just as powerful but more evasive. It takes the shape of big corporate structures, political campaigns, fundamentalist religious groups, conservative media organizations, unjust economic distribution, and consumerism. Fighting the empire today feels more like fighting terrorists that have no single point of authority, geography, and structure.
I wonder however, if this is really that different in America now than how it felt to be a citizen of Egypt, Rome, or German during the birth of their Empires? Does the fact that most of us benefit in some way from our growing empires allow us to somehow ignore the fact the we are actually citizens of something less than admirable? Walter Bruggeman suggests that "numbness" toward the harmful effects of empire is one of the greatest tools of the empire. As long as we are numb we will allow the status quo to continue and the status quo is a good thing for empires.
It seems that today we live in a horrible mix of 2 toxic agents of thought. Half of us are oppressed and in a state of despair. These people have given up hope for any fix in this life so they live a passive existence grasping their only thread of hope for a better place in the next life. These people could best be described as "blue". The other half of us are in some way supported by the current structure of economic distribution and in order to cope they have become numb to the despair around them but they are also angry and scared that someone may try to take away their comfortable status. These people seem to be feeling a bit "red".
Today, our toxic kool-aid has mixed to become the Imperial color of purple. It tastes great, is surprisly less-filling, and pairs well with a nice slice of apple pie. But based on historical precedence, it is likely to cause a bit of a hangover.
bottoms up!
30 comments:
Thanks for giving voice to Brueggeman's work. It's been awhile since I've read Prophetic Imagination, so this was a good reminder!
Hi.
I've just ordered the book, because it kept showing up in footnotes... so I was just fishing around for reviews on the internet. I'm looking forward to reading it, and also his overview of the Old Testament.
About prophecy being a transformative voice into the present rather than a prediction.... I have heard that argument many times, and it often shapes my reading of scripture. I just finished Isaiah, though --- and came across a passage where it says "I, God, predicted the exile -- and look, it happened. So now I'm going to make new predictions, and you can trust them because my accuracy has already been proven. Can your idols do that?" ---- see, for Example, Isaiah 48:3-8.
So are claims like that also imaginative metaphors?
I don't know. It's pretty complicated. I've taken to reading Revelation as story... but then I say the creed with conviction that Christ will come again.
Thanks for the comments anonymous.
Yes, I think those are imaginative metaphors. I believe that phrophesy is frequently the act of putting our hopes, dreams and crituque in the mouth of God (as if God had a mouth or literally spoke).
I think that what Isaiah is saying is that "if" God could/would speak to us this is what he would say based on what he sees happening. Prophets have 2 motivations for assigning their critique to God.
1. It gets them off the hook. If Isaiah said "hey you bastards are pissing ME off!" then he would get stoned to death. But if he says "hey God told me HE is pissed off at you" then they Isaiah is off the hook. They can't stone Isaiah for what God said. Don't shoot the messenger!
2. It gives their critique weight beyond their own reputation. People listen when you start your speech with "thus saith the lord..."
Thanks to author for this article. Very interesting. Write more!
HI
I was searching for reviews on Prophetic imagination and found yours . I'm from Brazil, and a friend of some authors in your library (like Brian). Great text. We are here trying to , "imaginatevely" prophesize in our third world context that another world is possible, not as an ideal, but as a reality coming thru arts and small subsistence business. If you are curious about, search theworkofthepeople.com website for poverty and friendship. But this was just a short note to say thanks for your wonderfull text
So if all of you guys believe that the Old Testmaent is a story or imaginary prophesy then why believe or read the Bible. It's not different than any other story we read. We might as well read Twilight, call it imagination and say we still believe in vampires. If you don't think God still speaks today then you clearly aren't listening. Just a thought from a different perspective. I probably won't find this page again so no need for a reply or arguement. I just get tired of people talking like our God is dead when the Bibe says he clearly lives.
I'd never heard of Walter Breuggemann until I read a book by Fr Richard Rohr. I looked Breuggermann up on Google and was amazed at how many books he has written. I also logged on to two videos of his lectures. I have ordered The Prophetic Imagination and look forward to reading it. I'm actually a priest
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Re:"So if all of you guys believe", yours is the only comment here that is dead on target, because this is nothing but Biblical prophecy being fulfilled once again. Books being published that try to make the Bible scriptures look like imagination, or anything else other than the truth, just like the Word said they would. Thank the Lord for helping us to spot 'deception' once again.
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