Earlier in the month, Prophet of Progressive Christianity Walter Brueggemann died at the age of 92. Bruggemann taught at Eden Seminary in Missouri and also at Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia. His written works number in the triple digits.
Some of his books include An Introduction to the Old Testament, Truth Speaks to Power, The Gospel of Hope, and The Prophetic Imagination. What Queer people need to know about Brueggemann is that he was a staunch LGBTQ+ ally. Commenting on the so-called clobber passages of the Bible often used to condemn LGBTQ people, Brueggemann encouraged us to become aware that the Bible does not speak with a single voice on any topic.
He kept to the party line that the Bible is inspired, but even so, he acknowledged that all sorts of persons have a say in the complexity of Scripture, and we are meant to listen to all the voices as best we can without privileging so-called proof texts to shame, silence, or demoralize others.
He pointed out that one biblical text can contradict another which is why listening only to the ones you think condemn others is a mistake. For example, for whatever verses you might find that seem to shun one group or another, there are at least as many passages that affirm welcome, hospitality, and grace.
Isaiah 56, for example, says God’s house is meant to be a house of prayer for all people, including those who haven’t observed purity codes. With Brueggemann’s death we have lost a voice of sanity and compassion in religious dialogue, but the Queer God Squad intends to keep highlighting such voices, old and new, for a long time to come.
