12.55

What Brueggemann does here is what Brueggemann does. He takes you over familiar terrain and allows you to see the lay of the land from a whole new vantage point than you ever have before. As in general, I don't always agree with his particulars but he does describe a trajectory which I think is fundamentally correct. Much of what he says here has implications for Creation care, economics, our understanding of covenant.
The theme of land is not a minor theme in the Old Testament. Brueggemann is able to trace Israel's movement to 'the land' through to their exile and hope for restoration (as well as offering a suggestive read of how these texts inform or reading of the New Testament). He offers a dialectic of land and landlessness (grasping leads to homelessness; gift leads to home).

When he draws the implications of land and biblical economics forward, he is able to address contemporary issues prophetically. He addresses wealth distribution, Israel/Palestine, the environment, and consumerism.

Good read and helpful theological lens for understanding the Bible!

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