I read. A lot. Over the years, two contemporary theologians have surfaced as the most influential voices in my own spiritual formation: N. T. Wright for the New Testament, and Walter Brueggemann for the Hebrew Bible. Both scholars happen to be highly prolific authors with distinct and compelling visions of God and humanity.

This vision shines through in The Threat of Life, a collection of sermons preached by Brueggemann. The collection is organized canonically: Torah, Prophetic, Writings, and New Testament texts with Old Testament allusions. Each sermon combine a deep understanding of the Hebrew Bible along with an prophetic grasp of late Twentieth Century American Christendom—all in Christological perspective.

Brueggemann’s messages, not unlike Jesus’, are unsettling to the rich but good news to the poor. In his hands, millennia old texts feel like they could have been ripped from the latest newspaper. It’s not just that he is skilled at applying the text to life today. Rather, he’s lived so long in the world of the Old Testament that he sees our contemporary world through those eyes. He deeply grasps that Yahweh, the Creator of the World, is an active and vital agent in the world today.

This book is valuable for any Christian looking for substantial devotional reading. However, any pastor who dares to preach from the Hebrew Bible would do well to learn from Brueggemann’s homilies.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Threat of Life: Sermons on Pain, Power, and Weakness. Fortress Press, 1996.