Walter Brueggemann, arguably America’s leading Old Testament scholar and theologian, takes us on a wild ride through the poetic prophecy of the Hebrew Scripture, identifying cultural contexts, putting a framework to Israel’s history, and, most significantly—and times challengingly!—drawing connections between Israel’s sociological, economic and spiritual status and that of America today.
What was the message of these remarkable poet-prophets in their own time and place? What is their message for us today? Who are today’s prophetic voices? How has the contemporary church been coopted by culture? What steps can we take to reclaim the prophetic message of distributive justice, nonviolence, loss and hope? And what is your role in bringing God’s perspective to today’s society?
Each of the six sessions begins with a 10-15 minute video presentation by Walter Brueggemann, followed by filmed interaction with a diverse small group. This Participant’s Workbook then helps your own local small group “join the conversation.” It includes all study materials needed by participants an those who lead. Each participant will need one copy.
Also required is the separately available Embracing the Prophets in Contemporary Culture DVD (978-60674-091-0), which contains all video content needed to conduct this study.
Session 1: Moses, Pharoah, the Prophets and Us
Session 2: The Prophets as Uncredentialed Purveyors of Covenant
Session 3: Moral Coherence in a World of Power, Money and Violence
Session 4: The Shrill Rhetoric that Breaks Denial
Session 5: The Grief of Loss as Divine Judgement
Session 6: The Promissory Language that Breaks Despair
"I love this series! I especially like the Brueggeman DVD on the prophets. All of these have been checked out, the moment I let it be known they are available. The pastor that used the Marcus Borg DVD ordered another DVD immediately. People are hungry for depth, and this series gives them real depth with well-respected theologians. The participants guides are well done too. I just received the Kathleen Norris DVD and it’s very good too. These DVDs also show the different personalities of the presenters, and I’m always interested in the input of the small group. Well done"! - Irene Flynn, Director of the Florida-Bahamas Synod Resource Center for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Tampa, FL
"I can’t imagine a more important set of biblical texts to study in our day and age than the Old Testament Prophets, and I can’t imagine a better teacher than Walter Brueggemann, a modern-day prophet himself! This is a wonderful multi-media resource, well-designed to help all of us who are Christians to better engage the power of the prophets for our own cultural context. Highly recommended!” --Brent A. Strawn, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
“The next best thing to having Walter Brueggemann, the premier biblical scholar of our generation, lead your small-group study! Embracing the Prophets is a marvelous resource for all who are interested in a provocative and penetrating conversation about the ancient text and the dominant forces of contemporary culture." - Louis Stulman, Professor of Religion, University of Findlay, and co-author of You are My People: An Introduction to Prophetic Literature
“A marvelous opportunity - for an individual or a whole church - to learn not only about the way the ancient prophets can be heard to speak to our time but about religious teaching more generally. Don't miss it!" - James Boyd White, Hart Wright Professor of Law emeritus and Professor of English emeritus, University of Michigan and author of Connecting to the Gospel
CLICK HERE to view a short video clip (You Tube) from the Embracing the Prophets in Contemporary Culture DVD.
