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Boston Globe
a day ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Walter Brueggemann, theologian who argued for the poor, dies at 92
His best-known book was 'The Prophetic Imagination' (1978), which has sold more than 1 million copies, according to Publishers Weekly. But there were dozens of others, including collections of his sermons and guides to studying the Old Testament. Dr. Brueggemann's work, while little known to the general reading public, is widely used in seminaries. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Jim Wallis, a progressive evangelist and theologian who heads Georgetown University's Center on Faith and Justice, said in an interview that Dr. Brueggemann was 'our best biblical scholar of the prophets -- and he became one himself.' Advertisement 'There are court prophets, prophets who just speak to what the king wants them to say,' Wallis said, 'and then there are the biblical prophets who speak up for the poorest and most marginal.' Dr. Brueggemann, he said, was akin to the second kind. Born to a pastor in the Evangelical and Reformed Church, an ancestor of the latter-day United Church of Christ, Dr. Brueggemann grew up in modest circumstances. His grandparents were Prussian immigrants, and his family arrived in the Midwest via New Orleans. He remained an active member of the church throughout his career, speaking frequently at conferences. Advertisement A small-town Missouri boyhood baling hay and working at service stations gave him a natural sympathy for the underdog, Conrad Kanagy wrote in 'Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography' (2023). Dr. Brueggemann's reading of Scripture was unusually pointed and critical of establishment churches, shaped by what Kanagy called his 'German evangelical Pietism.' 'The contemporary American church is so largely enculturated to the American ethos of consumerism that it has little power to believe or to act,' Dr. Brueggemann wrote in 'The Prophetic Imagination.' For him, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew Bible, is 'a real character and an active agent,' he said in a lecture in 2023 -- a God that is disappointed in mankind's failings and yet promises 'a new world that is possible.' In 'The Prophetic Imagination,' Dr. Brueggemann drew a sharp contrast between this God and the gods of the empire. The God of Moses, he wrote, 'acts in his lordly freedom' and 'is extrapolated from no social reality.' Unlike pharaoh's gods -- who were invented to legitimize power and preserve the status quo -- Yahweh disrupts it, calling people toward justice, liberation, and hope. Yahweh 'is captive to no social perception but acts from his own person toward his own purposes,' Dr. Brueggemann wrote. 'At the same time,' he added, 'Moses dismantles the politics of oppression and exploitation by countering it with a politics of justice and compassion.' For Dr. Brueggemann, Kanagy wrote, 'the biblical text was meant to be a free document that told the story of a free God who related to a free people past and present.' Advertisement The church's role thus seemed clear to the theologian. 'The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us,' Dr. Brueggemann wrote. It was, in his view, the church's role not to reinforce established social realities but to question systems of power and inequality at every turn -- just as, say, the church leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement had done by invoking Scripture to confront racism and injustice. A passage in the Book of Jeremiah had a particular impact on Dr. Brueggemann, Kanagy wrote. God says: 'To care for the poor and the needy, is this not to know me?' according to Jeremiah. Understanding these words 'was a crystallizing moment for Walter, as he recognized that the text did not say, if one has knowledge of God, then they will care for the poor,' Kanagy wrote. 'Or that if one cares for the poor, they will get knowledge of God. Rather, it simply declares that 'the care of the poor is knowledge of God.'' Dr. Brueggemann taught generations of seminarians, first at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis and then in Decatur. On a blackboard, he would lay out patterns and repetitions of biblical text for his students. 'He was famous among students for jumping up on tables, mimicking the Almighty, and doing just about anything to help students make connections with the text,' Kanagy wrote. Walter Albert Brueggemann was born March 11, 1933, in Tilden, Neb., the youngest of three sons of August and Hilda (Hallman) Brueggemann. He grew up in rural parsonages in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, according to his website, but mostly in Blackburn, Mo., where his high school had 30 students and one shelf of books, which he 'read and read again,' Kanagy wrote. Advertisement He received a Bachelor of Arts from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University) in Illinois in 1955; a bachelor's in divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in 1958; a doctorate of theology degree from Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan in 1961; and a doctorate in education from Saint Louis University in 1974. He taught at Eden from 1961 to 1986 and also served as dean there. He became a professor of the Old Testament at Columbia in 1986 and retired in 2003. He leaves his second wife, Tia (Ehrhardt) Brueggemann; two sons, James and John; and five grandchildren. His first marriage, to Mary Bonner Miller, ended in divorce in 2005. Throughout his career, Dr. Brueggemann called for a questioning of, and a pushing back against, the status quo, with a focus on those on the margins of society. 'It was a biblical matter for him, to be ignoring the poor while rewarding the rich,' Wallis of Georgetown said. 'We will not understand the meaning of prophetic imagination unless we see the connection between the religion of static triumphalism and the politics of oppression and exploitation, " Dr. Brueggemann wrote in 'The Prophetic Imagination.' He added, 'It is the marvel of prophetic faith that both imperial religion and imperial politics could be broken.' This article originally appeared in
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Israel, Palestine, Iran, Pakistan: When war becomes content, critical discourse is the casualty
Odds are that in the past few weeks you have, at some point, come across the words: Fog of war. You may have tripped over them while taking a stroll in your digital backyard. A talking head on a TV news channel may have yelled the phrase at you. Or, they may have been dropped at a dinner party by someone sipping their wine and simping for war. Typically traced back to Carl von Clausewitz, a 19th century Prussian general, the phrase alludes to the fact that war is influenced, in large part, by factors that are 'wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty'. In its original avatar, the term was formulated to explain the challenges faced by military actors and the ambiguity of information available to those present in the battlefield. Clausewitz narrowly missed the social media revolution, of course. But if he were alive today, he would have been alarmed to see how far beyond the battlefield the 'fog of war' can now spread — pervading phone and TV screens to cloud the minds of entire citizenries. In recent years, war reportage has become a mainstay in news headlines. Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Israel-Iran, and, of course, our own showdown with our belligerent neighbours last month. These instances, by no means, form an exhaustive list — but even accounting for the biases that spotlight some conflicts while leaving others in the shadows, fresh updates about lives lost and people displaced never seem to cease. And for the most part, these updates reach us via social media. Navigating the terabytes of data on social media is fraught with risk in the best of times. For every innocuous cat video, you are also served up deep fakes and disinformation. The online newsflash — both the fact and the fiction — is designed to be easy to believe and difficult to verify. So it is no surprise that experiencing an armed conflict through the lens of social media can prove to be problematic. First, there is the craving for instantaneous updates. Technology has whittled our patience down to the bone. We binge-watch TV shows, never allowing cliffhangers to torment us for more than a few minutes. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have to grip us within seconds before we dismiss them with a swipe of our thumbs. Naturally, we expect war coverage to also adhere to this schedule of immediacy. The morning's headlines become stale by noon, and we yearn for the next piece of breaking news — a cycle that results in the second problem: Shallow engagement. A two-minute video offering a 'complete breakdown' of trending news is hard to ignore. In a deluge of information, they offer a convenient shortcut to help us stay abreast of the latest developments. But they come at the cost of depth and nuance. Experts on Instagram may be a whizz at making 20-word summaries of international relations, but an analysis of the historical and political context of any conflict can never fit into a carousel post. Unfortunately, when a conveyor belt of bite-sized updates keeps us hooked, we have neither the time nor the inclination to deepen our understanding of the world. This absence of a well-rounded perspective is exacerbated by the architecture of social media. The content we see is tailored to our tastes, preferences, and socio-economic profile. Our timelines are echo chambers, they tell us what we want to hear and filter out all that we find bothersome. This is the third drawback of making social media our primary source of news: We can only ever see parts of the whole, like the moon waning or waxing but never full. When we block content that is objectionable to us or 'like' threads that align with our views, the algorithm takes diligent notes. It is vigilant in ensuring that contrarian opinions do not make it to our feed. Critical discourse becomes a casualty, and we are offered a narrative we are most likely to accept. When we see content that resonates with us, we are emboldened to choose a side and add our own voice to the chorus — which, in turn, leads us to the fourth pitfall: Performative online behaviour. We have put our lives on display to the natives of the internet. Meals, holidays, and even mundane minutiae — everything makes its way to our digital diaries. We are careful to present our best version to our followers, and so we have an obligation to perform our moral outrage for their benefit. On Independence Day, we demonstrate our patriotism with status updates containing a liberal sprinkling of the tricolour and a track of the national anthem. When Gaza is obliterated, we sandwich an 'Eyes on Gaza' story between snaps from our anniversary dinner. And when we hear of countries supplying drones to our opponents, we cancel our vacations to proclaim our loyalty. After all, righteous rage is impotent without an audience. None of this is to say we must shun social media. Along with its ills, it has many virtues: Not least being a platform that gives space to voices outside the mainstream. It can help form communities and spread ideas. As with all powerful tools, however, we must exercise caution in the ways we use it. We must be wary of the hold social media has over us, the ways in which it can shape our thinking, particularly in times of strife. It will always serve up gaudy baubles that are intended to captivate us. The trick is in knowing when to look away. The writer is a Mumbai-based lawyer
UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
On This Day, June 18: Saudi prince executed for assassination of King Faisal
1 of 5 | On June 18, 1975, Saudi Arabian Prince Museid was publicly beheaded in Riyadh for the assassination of King Faisal, pictured. File Photo by Marion S. Trikosko/Library of Congress On this date in history: In 1812, the United States declared war on Britain, beginning the War of 1812. In 1815, England's Duke of Wellington and Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI In 1975, Saudi Arabian Prince Museid was publicly beheaded in Riyadh for the assassination of his uncle, King Faisal. In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed a strategic arms control treaty (SALT II) in Vienna. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space after the shuttle Challenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. In 1990, gunman James Edward Pough, 42, whose car had been repossessed, killed nine people and wounded four before killing himself at a General Motors Acceptance Corp. loan office in Jacksonville, Fla. Investigators said he had killed two people and injured two others a day earlier. In 1997, Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan resigned under pressure after his governing coalition lost its majority in Parliament. File Photo by Tarik Tinazay/EPA In 2004, U.S. hostage Paul Johnson Jr., 49, was killed by his Saudi captors despite pleas from senior Muslim clerics. In 2014, Spanish King Juan Carlos abdicated the throne amid scandal, massive unemployment and regional separatism. His son was crowned King Felipe VI one day later. In 2018, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Defense to create a sixth branch of the military -- a Space Force. In 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the Titan, a small submersible with five people on board, went missing off the coast of Newfoundland during an expedition to visit the site of the sunken Titanic. After days of searching, it was determined the submersible imploded, killing pilot and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, crew member Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and tourists Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood. In 2024, AI-related earnings enabled chipmaker Nvidia to surpass Microsoft as the world's most valuable publicly traded company. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
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First Post
3 days ago
- General
- First Post
History Today: When the Napoleon era ended with Battle of Waterloo loss
One of the greatest military strategists, Napoleon Bonaparte, fought and lost at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. This marked the end of the Napoleonic era in European history. On this day in 1858, Rani Lakshmibai, the valiant Queen of Jhansi, died while fighting against British soldiers near Gwalior read more One of the most important battles in Europe was fought on June 18, 1815. The day saw French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte lose to the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo, thus, effectively bringing an end to the Napoleonic era in European history. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 1858, Queen of Jhansi Rani Lakshmibai died while battling British forces near Gwalior. She died a heroic death and is considered to be a pivotal figure during the Rebellion of 1857. Napoleon loses the Battle of Waterloo June 18 witnessed one of those wars that went on to change the history of Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated on this day in the Battle of Waterloo. This marked the end of his reign as Emperor of the French and the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. After escaping exile on the island of Elba, Napoleon returned to France in March 1815 and regained power, beginning the period known as the 'Hundred Days.' Determined to crush opposition swiftly, Napoleon led his army into present-day Belgium, where the Seventh Coalition forces, primarily British-led troops under the Duke of Wellington and Prussian troops commanded by Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, had assembled. In this oil painting of the Battle of Waterloo, Duke of Wellington is seen ordering his forces. Wikimedia Commons Napoleon aimed to divide and conquer the coalition forces before they could unite. He initially achieved a victory against the Prussians at Ligny on June 16 and engaged the Anglo-Allied army at Quatre Bras. However, the main confrontation at Waterloo on June 18 proved to be his undoing. Napoleon delayed his attack until midday to allow the muddy ground to dry after heavy overnight rain, a decision that proved critical. This delay gave the Prussian forces, led by Marshal Gebhard von Blucher, precious time to regroup and march towards Waterloo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Throughout the day, Napoleon's forces launched repeated, fierce assaults against Wellington's well-fortified positions. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, Wellington's lines held. The timely arrival of Blucher's Prussian army in the late afternoon on the French right flank turned the tide decisively against Napoleon. The French army, exhausted and increasingly outnumbered, began to buckle under the combined pressure. A final, desperate charge by Napoleon's elite Imperial Guard was repulsed, leading to a complete rout of the French forces. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo ended his dreams of an empire and forced him to abdicate for a second time. He was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821. The victory at Waterloo ushered in a new era of peace and conservative order in Europe, led by the Congress of Vienna. Rani Lakshmibai dies She was considered to be one of the most valiant and heroic leaders of the Rebellion of 1857. On this day in 1858, Rani Lakshmibai died while fighting the British forces near Gwalior after they annexed her Kingdom of Jhansi under the controversial Doctrine of Lapse. Born as Manikarnika Tambe in 1828 in Varanasi, she was married to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi and later became the queen, or Rani, of the princely state. After her husband's death in 1853, the British East India Company refused to recognise her adopted son as heir and annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse. This injustice deeply angered Lakshmibai, who vowed to fight for her kingdom's sovereignty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Queen of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai. Wikimedia Commons When the 1857 revolt against British rule broke out, Rani Lakshmibai emerged as a leading force in the rebellion. She organised an army, trained soldiers, including women, and fiercely defended Jhansi when British troops besieged the city in March 1858. After a prolonged battle, she escaped in disguise and continued resistance. At Gwalior, she joined forces with other rebel leaders, including Tatya Tope, and together they managed to capture the formidable Gwalior Fort. However, the British soon launched a counter-attack. On June 17, 1858, a fierce engagement took place at Kotah-ki-Serai in Gwalior. Rani Lakshmibai, reportedly dressed as a male soldier and fighting on horseback, led her troops with exceptional bravery. She was mortally wounded during this intense combat, choosing death over capture by the British. The British praised her courage, with General Rose calling her 'the most dangerous of all Indian leaders.' Though the rebellion was ultimately suppressed, Rani Lakshmibai became a symbol of resistance, courage and patriotism. Her fearless stand against colonial rule continues to inspire generations and holds a revered place in India's freedom movement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This Day, That Year >> On this day in 2023, the experimental submersible Titan imploded during a dive into the wreck of the Titanic. >> The first American woman to fly into outer space, Sally Ride, was launched with four other astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger on this day in 1983. >> In 1979, the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) II treaty was signed by US President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
Local Germany
7 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
Germany and last Kaiser's heirs agree to keep treasures on display
The agreement ends a century-old dispute between the state and the Hohenzollern family, descendants of the last German emperor and king of Prussia, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who abdicated after World War I. "After 100 years, we have amicably resolved a dispute dating back to the transition from the monarchy to the republic," said Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, hailing the "historic success". The collection reportedly covers 27,000 objects including paintings, sculptures, coins, books and furniture. "Countless works of art that are of great importance to the history of Brandenburg, Prussia, and thus Germany will now be permanently accessible to the public and continue to form the centrepieces of our museums and palaces," said Weimer. Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia said in a statement that "it has always been my goal to permanently preserve our shared cultural heritage for art-loving citizens and to make it publicly accessible". "The solution now found provides an excellent basis for a new partnership between the state cultural foundations and my family." Under the agreement, previously disputed objects will be transferred to a non-profit Hohenzollern Art Heritage Foundation, with two thirds of the board made up of public sector representatives, and one third by the aristocratic family. Advertisement Lost behind Iron Curtain The ancient House of Hohenzollern ruled the German Empire from its establishment in 1871 until Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate in 1918, going into exile after Germany's defeat in World War I. The Prussian royals were initially to be stripped of their properties but a deal was later worked out under a 1926 law. The imperial family received millions of Deutschmarks and kept dozens of castles, villas and other properties, mainly in and around Berlin but also as far away as today's Namibia. However, after Nazi Germany's World War II defeat, Soviet occupation of eastern Germany and communist rule led to additional expropriations. The riches lost behind the Iron Curtain only came back into reach for the Hohenzollern family with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Under a 1994 law, people whose property was expropriated by the Soviets have a right to claim compensation -- but only if they did not "lend considerable support" to the Nazi regime. The family fought for years to recover the treasures but dropped the bid in 2023 when a family representative acknowledged that Kaiser Wilhelm II "sympathised with the Nazis at times". The deal announced on Friday was sealed after the German Historical Museum Foundation gave its approval, following the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Prussian Castles and Gardens Foundation in Berlin-Brandenburg.
