People tend to understand prophets in two ways, depending on their theological leaning. Conservatives (often) view them as future-tellers, while liberals (generally) see them as social justice crusaders. For Brueggemann, the prophets were people who imagined a different world—a world where YHWH was, in fact, in charge. This prophetic vision inspired their twofold ministry: to announce judgment and envision hope after the judgment is through.

In this short little book, Brueggemann interprets Israel’s classical prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve) according to this paradigm. He simultaneously contextualizes them in their world while making their messages immediately relevant to our post-9/11 society.

From Judgment to Hope is a great introductory resource for students or a church bible study. Each chapter ends with a few thoughtful questions to spur thought and discussion. Patricia K. Tull provides a good introduction to Bruegemann’s thought as well as a timeline of the prophets and a summary of each of their messages.

This book is a great example of how academic scholarship can be translated for the church.

Brueggemann, Walter. From Judgment to Hope: A Study on the Prophets. Westminster John Knox Press, 2019.