[Dialogue] Walter Bruggemann lecture #2

[Priscilla H. Wilson]

Walter Bruggemann 4/5/05

The Rise and Fall of the City

Exceptionalism…political theory in USA…that we are an exception to all 
the rules, i.e., bush announces our soldiers are not subject tot eh 
Geneva Convention because we are the USA.
Israel saw themselves as unconditionally loved. 2nd Samuel 7 – “will 
never take my steadfast love from you.” Davidic tradition. 1Kings 8 – 
dedication of temple under Solomon…nothing bad can ever happen to 
Jerusalem. Isaiah 37 – Assyrian armies about to take the city…angel of 
Lord struck down the armies…miraculous deliverance. Conclusion: eternal 
protection of God.
Psalms…Songs of Zion…celebrate the exceptionalism…# 46, 48, 76, 84. 
Scholars think that #46 was written during the miraculous deliverance. 
During  9/11 Psaln  46 was claimed by Americans for our exceptionalism. 
Psalm 84 – Brahms Requiem, How lovely is thy dwelling place.
We get to Jeremiah 100 years later. Hananiah…false prophet, (from the 
internet: Hananiah was a fellow who lived around 600 BC in the ancient 
Israelite kingdom of Judah. He claimed he was a prophet of God with a 
message concerning the future of Judah. His was a message of "good 
news" in sharp contrast to the message of Jeremiah who was a "gloom & 
doom" kind of fellow.) though he says same thing as Isaiah. Isaiah and 
Jeremiah on opposite sides of issue. Different contexts…times have 
changed. Isaiah belonged to power elite of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was an 
outsider. USA has political idea – from the beginning we believed in 
exceptionalism…Gov. Winthrop speech in MA about city set on a hill. 
Theodore Roosevelt…Manifest Destiny. Learned from the British, “white 
man’s burden” to help black people in Africa get their minds right. 
Today we are leader of the free world. Colonialists used words of the 
Bible…exceptionalism is a mode of colonialism.
Manichism…34d & 4th century understanding of absolute good and absolute 
bad. Look at the parable of the wheat and the tares…can’t tell what is 
weeds so can’t pull the weeds. The Church with St. Augustine fought 
manichism. In our time it shows up as “you are against us or with us” 
political practice.
Exceptionalism deeply rooted in biblical faith…but is an ideological 
conviction to serve self-interest. Always has self-interest at its 
heart so treat with suspicion. It is a geo-political reality…many 
others don’t agree with other’s exceptionalism. I.e. Middle East…others 
don’t agree with USA exceptionalism. Exceptionalism is subject to 
poetic critique from inside the community. Poetic critique---prophets.
Amos 3:2…I choose you – therefore you get special punishment.,
Amos 7:12 – Amos 9:7 – Jeremiah 21:3  – God has declared war on God’s 
people. The book is readable, just liberals are afraid to be seen with 
it.
Psalm 89:28 – high exceptionalism
Psalm 89: 38 – 587 Jerusalem destroyed
Psalm 89: 46-49 – How long, O Lord,  where is your steadfast love?
Shattering fact…Jerusalem is destroyed – exceptionalism turned out not 
to be true. After 9/11 – Christians have to ask about our belief we are 
God’s chosen people. Who are the prophetic poets today? Daniel Berrigan 
is one…underground movement. What if the Church is the place where we 
come to hear the poets…to hear story of Jesus who challenged Roman 
exceptionalism.
The Bible has almost been captured in USA by exceptionalism – worst 
buttress of patriotism. Happened because we haven’t looked in it. 
Strong thread of scripture: holiness of God dead set against military, 
economic exceptionalism. Have an honest sense of uneasiness about our 
way in the world. Open to thinking another way. OT prophets were right 
– God did not protect Israel’s exceptionalism. In USA society – we are 
sobered by 9/11…we are not safe.
Psalm 44 (a hard psalm…one we never use)  “Yet---all this has come on 
us. Yet---we have not forgotten you.”
Lamentations – 5 poems – we need to feel sadness at what is happening 
in society. Last 3 verses.– renew us or have you totally rejected us? 
Lamentations 3: 18 – Gone is my glory (temple). Lamentations 21 & 22 – 
the steadfast love, mercy , faithfulness…is summary of Biblical faith. 
Has to do with God’s commitment to us.
Honest faith must go in to the sadness – and then affirm the 
faithfulness. Can’t count on exceptionalism…it is destroyed. This is 
Friday…live a long time on Sat. Don’t rush to Easter (newness). Society 
is tempted by denial. On Sat. wait and cry…cry for a world that is 
gone. No return to what is “normal”. Can’t get to resolution too 
quickly.
What if we had a government that didn’t nurture billionaires?
What if baptized people worked to bring about changes in public power?
Re-scripting – the same as reframing – issues around covenantal 
transactions. Trust is allied to pain. The voice of pain is the surest 
word of truth. Loud voices today push pain off the screen.

Question & Answer period:
What is the Gospel by which to read the OT? OT…descent into 587….move 
into hope out of that. The descent is the passion on Fri…587 is the 
cross on Sat…the hope is the resurrection on Sun.
Bonhoeffer: he bids us come die with him. Relinquish what we most 
treasure…then gift of new life. Culture believes we never have to die. 
Culture does not believe God gives new life so hang on to the old life. 
Church has bought into exceptionalism so much…poets have to conme from 
outside. Poets come out of suffering. Langston Hughes…feminist 
poets…small budget films…James C. Scott, Weapons of the Weak….Michael 
Prior, books on land theology of OT and how feeds state of Israel. 
Bible doesn’t give answers, but gives us thinking that haunts our 
sleep. Jim Wallis, Jim Forbes…but most poets are local. In local 
congregation we are able to say things.
Creation theology – Psalm 136:24 – world a reliable food producing 
place.
Psalm 145:15 – the wicked he will destroy.
How can we rescript the People of God? Give the people big hunks of 
texzt. This text is the text of our life and we liberals have to take 
it back. Remember the particularity of it.

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Priscilla Wilson
TeamTech Press
Mission Hills, KS 66208
913-432-2107
pwilson at teamtechinc.com