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Struggling with Scripture
Challenging the traditional meaning of Scripture is not easy, even in the face of issues that call into question those traditional interpretations. In these reflections, Walter Brueggemann says that the Bible, as the live word of the living God, will not submit to the accounts we prefer to give it. The Bible's inherent, central evangelical proclamation has greater and more permanent authority than our inescapably provisional interpretations. William Placher notes that taking the Bible most seriously means struggling to understand its meaning as well as affirming its truth. And Brian Blount distinguishes what some may claim as a "last word," which is necessarily a dead word, from the living word that is God's word to us today.
69 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Walter Brueggemann
306 books559 followersWalter Brueggemann was an American Christian scholar and theologian who is widely considered an influential Old Testament scholar. His work often focused on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and the sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argued that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 4, 2017
This book with chapters by Brueggemann, Placher, and Blount is a good, brief read on the theme that taking scripture seriously requires deep engagement with the text in the struggle to understand its meaning. Taking scripture seriously means we cannot use it to bolster our biases and preferences but we allow ourselves to come under it's light.
September 9, 2025
"Struggling with Scripture" is a short but striking book that opens up the Bible not as a closed rulebook but as a living conversation. The authors show that the words of Scripture breathe and adapt, alive with imagination, meaning, and relevance for changing times. As Brueggemann puts it, “Imagination is the vehicle for interpretation.” (p.19). Readers will be struck by the way ancient texts, when wrestled with honestly, continue to spark wonder and possibility, leading not to rigid conclusions but to fresh insights for our own day. This book reminds us that the power of Scripture lies not in fixed answers but in its capacity to keep speaking, surprising, and inviting us into joy-filled dialogue with its words.
.....................................................................................................
"Struggling with Scripture" by Walter Brueggemann, William C. Placher, and Brian K. Blount is a refreshing and faithful exploration of how God’s Word continues to speak with power into every age. Brueggemann reminds us that the Bible is not a flat or lifeless document but “the inherent Word of God in the biblical texts… refracted through many authors who were not disembodied voices of revealed truth” (p.12). This perspective encourages us to approach Scripture with humility, reverence, and curiosity, knowing that “nobody’s read is final or inerrant, precisely because the Key Character in the book… is always beyond us in holy hiddenness” (p.13). Anglican Christians (of whom I am) who value the balance of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason will find themselves at home with this call to engage Scripture with both faithfulness and imagination.
The book also offers pastoral encouragement, especially in reminding us that God’s Word is alive, dynamic, and trustworthy for today. As Brian K. Blount powerfully writes, “God, you remember Jesus saying, is a God of the living, not the dead. But a last word is necessarily a dead word. It stops listening. It stops learning. It stops living!” (p.56). Instead, Scripture is an ongoing conversation where the Spirit continues to guide Christ’s Church. In the Anglican tradition of prayerful reading, preaching, and liturgy, this book helps us rejoice in the living Word who meets us afresh in every context. It reassures us that our “struggle” with Scripture is not a weakness but a mark of faithfulness, a way of hearing God’s call in our own time and place.
........................................
"Struggling with Scripture" (the quotes).
Walter Brueggemann identifies six facets of biblical interpretation: Inherency, Interpretation, Imagination, Ideology, Inspiration, Important (urgent)
"We share a common commitment about the truth of the book that makes us equal before thy book as it does around the table." (p11)
"The inherent Word of God in the biblical texts is, of course, refracted through many authors who were not disembodied voices of revealed truth." (p12)
"Nobody makes the final read; nobody's read is final or inerrant, precisely because the Key Character in the book who creates, redeems, and consummates is always beyond us in holy hiddenness." (p13) [that is, the disclosure of God in Jesus of Nazareth, a truth not given to 'flesh and blood' (Matthew 16:17).]
"Deuteronomy acknowledges that its own tradition is not from Sinai but it is a derivative form and an extrapolation as a 'second' (deuteros) reading for a new time and place (Deut. 17:18). Thus Moses enunciates the required interpretive principle, 'Not with our ancestors..' (Deut 5:3)." (p14)
"The old, no doubt circumstance-driven exclusion in the mouth of Moses in Deuteronomy 23 is answered by a circumstance-driven inclusiveness in Isaiah 56. To cite another example, Deut 24:1-5, marriages broken in infidelity cannot be restored, but in Jeremiah 3, in a shocking reversal given in a pathos-filled poem, God's own voice indicates a readiness to violate that Torah teaching for the sake of restored marriage to Israel." (p15)
"Imagination is the capacity to entertain images of meaning and reality that are out beyond the evident givens of observable experience. That is, imagination is the hosting of 'otherwise'. .. Jesus' parables open the listening community to possible futures." (p17)
"Imagination is the vehicle for interpretation. This is what Moses was doing at the Jordan in Deuteronomy; this is what Jesus was doing in his rabbinic way, 'You have heard it said of old.' And this is what the church always does when it risks moving the text to its own time and place." (p19)
".. ideology .. surely reflects vested interest, anxiety, fear and hurt. .. We see it in Hananiah, who picked up the buoyant Zionism of Isaiah and, a century later, against Jeremiah turned it into an absolute principle that blinded him to lived reality." (p22)
William C. Placher says:
"As Christians, we struggle with the biblical texts, and our very commitment to the struggle is the sign of our faithfulness to this book." (p49)
Brian K. Blount says:
"People need some absolute, something hard and lasting, a last word on all things for all ethical situations for every ethical context imaginable. We are like Paul's babes in the faith; we need the suckling security of a milk bottle filled with authoritative assurances about what we should do and how we should live in any and every time for any and every circumstance. We don't want complexities because we're not spiritually grown up enough to handle them." (p55)
".. as far as biblical ethics are concerned.. there is no last word on biblical authority. Why? Because the authoritative words are linked to the contexts on which they were uttered. And since we're always changing, and our contexts are always changing, the words that interpret the whisper of God's Spirit in our time must necessarily be changing as well. God, you remember Jesus saying, is a God of the living, not the dead. But a last word is necessarily a dead word. It stops listening. It stops learning. It stops living! .. A last word can't breathe." (p56) "Nothing that is living is ever last." (p57)
"Psalm 2 is about the Davidic king who would be, at his enthronement, considered begotten of God. That word in that form, however, if it were to stay in that form, would be a dead word in a time when Davidic kingship itself no longer existed. When New Testament writers from the Gospels to Revelation interpreted those words of the Psalmist, they interpreted them in light of Jesus and either his baptism or his crucifixion." (p60)
"Then there's Paul. Given the shift in situation from Jesus' time to his, Paul felt the need to adjust even Jesus' words. Even Jesus' words! Actually, he did more than that. He took a leap and wrote new material because the context demanded it. At 1 Corinthians 7:10-15, Paul first cites Jesus by saying, 'This is the Word of the Lord.' He goes on to say how Jesus' words disallow divorce. But then he does something radical. He says, 'To the rest I say - I and not the Lord,' that if a situation arises that is different from the one Jesus envisioned, where a pagan is married to a believer and threatens to pull that believer from his or her faith, then it is perfectly permissible to let the pagan partner go his or her way. This is a living word of authority from a man who believes he is in contact with the Spirit of Christ who is still living in his midst." (p61)
.....................................................................................................
"Struggling with Scripture" by Walter Brueggemann, William C. Placher, and Brian K. Blount is a refreshing and faithful exploration of how God’s Word continues to speak with power into every age. Brueggemann reminds us that the Bible is not a flat or lifeless document but “the inherent Word of God in the biblical texts… refracted through many authors who were not disembodied voices of revealed truth” (p.12). This perspective encourages us to approach Scripture with humility, reverence, and curiosity, knowing that “nobody’s read is final or inerrant, precisely because the Key Character in the book… is always beyond us in holy hiddenness” (p.13). Anglican Christians (of whom I am) who value the balance of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason will find themselves at home with this call to engage Scripture with both faithfulness and imagination.
The book also offers pastoral encouragement, especially in reminding us that God’s Word is alive, dynamic, and trustworthy for today. As Brian K. Blount powerfully writes, “God, you remember Jesus saying, is a God of the living, not the dead. But a last word is necessarily a dead word. It stops listening. It stops learning. It stops living!” (p.56). Instead, Scripture is an ongoing conversation where the Spirit continues to guide Christ’s Church. In the Anglican tradition of prayerful reading, preaching, and liturgy, this book helps us rejoice in the living Word who meets us afresh in every context. It reassures us that our “struggle” with Scripture is not a weakness but a mark of faithfulness, a way of hearing God’s call in our own time and place.
........................................
"Struggling with Scripture" (the quotes).
Walter Brueggemann identifies six facets of biblical interpretation: Inherency, Interpretation, Imagination, Ideology, Inspiration, Important (urgent)
"We share a common commitment about the truth of the book that makes us equal before thy book as it does around the table." (p11)
"The inherent Word of God in the biblical texts is, of course, refracted through many authors who were not disembodied voices of revealed truth." (p12)
"Nobody makes the final read; nobody's read is final or inerrant, precisely because the Key Character in the book who creates, redeems, and consummates is always beyond us in holy hiddenness." (p13) [that is, the disclosure of God in Jesus of Nazareth, a truth not given to 'flesh and blood' (Matthew 16:17).]
"Deuteronomy acknowledges that its own tradition is not from Sinai but it is a derivative form and an extrapolation as a 'second' (deuteros) reading for a new time and place (Deut. 17:18). Thus Moses enunciates the required interpretive principle, 'Not with our ancestors..' (Deut 5:3)." (p14)
"The old, no doubt circumstance-driven exclusion in the mouth of Moses in Deuteronomy 23 is answered by a circumstance-driven inclusiveness in Isaiah 56. To cite another example, Deut 24:1-5, marriages broken in infidelity cannot be restored, but in Jeremiah 3, in a shocking reversal given in a pathos-filled poem, God's own voice indicates a readiness to violate that Torah teaching for the sake of restored marriage to Israel." (p15)
"Imagination is the capacity to entertain images of meaning and reality that are out beyond the evident givens of observable experience. That is, imagination is the hosting of 'otherwise'. .. Jesus' parables open the listening community to possible futures." (p17)
"Imagination is the vehicle for interpretation. This is what Moses was doing at the Jordan in Deuteronomy; this is what Jesus was doing in his rabbinic way, 'You have heard it said of old.' And this is what the church always does when it risks moving the text to its own time and place." (p19)
".. ideology .. surely reflects vested interest, anxiety, fear and hurt. .. We see it in Hananiah, who picked up the buoyant Zionism of Isaiah and, a century later, against Jeremiah turned it into an absolute principle that blinded him to lived reality." (p22)
William C. Placher says:
"As Christians, we struggle with the biblical texts, and our very commitment to the struggle is the sign of our faithfulness to this book." (p49)
Brian K. Blount says:
"People need some absolute, something hard and lasting, a last word on all things for all ethical situations for every ethical context imaginable. We are like Paul's babes in the faith; we need the suckling security of a milk bottle filled with authoritative assurances about what we should do and how we should live in any and every time for any and every circumstance. We don't want complexities because we're not spiritually grown up enough to handle them." (p55)
".. as far as biblical ethics are concerned.. there is no last word on biblical authority. Why? Because the authoritative words are linked to the contexts on which they were uttered. And since we're always changing, and our contexts are always changing, the words that interpret the whisper of God's Spirit in our time must necessarily be changing as well. God, you remember Jesus saying, is a God of the living, not the dead. But a last word is necessarily a dead word. It stops listening. It stops learning. It stops living! .. A last word can't breathe." (p56) "Nothing that is living is ever last." (p57)
"Psalm 2 is about the Davidic king who would be, at his enthronement, considered begotten of God. That word in that form, however, if it were to stay in that form, would be a dead word in a time when Davidic kingship itself no longer existed. When New Testament writers from the Gospels to Revelation interpreted those words of the Psalmist, they interpreted them in light of Jesus and either his baptism or his crucifixion." (p60)
"Then there's Paul. Given the shift in situation from Jesus' time to his, Paul felt the need to adjust even Jesus' words. Even Jesus' words! Actually, he did more than that. He took a leap and wrote new material because the context demanded it. At 1 Corinthians 7:10-15, Paul first cites Jesus by saying, 'This is the Word of the Lord.' He goes on to say how Jesus' words disallow divorce. But then he does something radical. He says, 'To the rest I say - I and not the Lord,' that if a situation arises that is different from the one Jesus envisioned, where a pagan is married to a believer and threatens to pull that believer from his or her faith, then it is perfectly permissible to let the pagan partner go his or her way. This is a living word of authority from a man who believes he is in contact with the Spirit of Christ who is still living in his midst." (p61)
April 8, 2022
Three short, compelling lectures from Walter Brueggemann, William Placher, and Brian Blount that highlight helpful interpretative principles for reading the Bible. I'm walking away chewing on two main points: 1) To equate Biblical literalism with "taking the Bible seriously" is to misunderstand the very nature of the Biblical genres and texts themselves, and; 2) The Bible is not God's last word, but God's living word.
July 31, 2017
Excellent book. It gives 3 different lectures from 3 renowned theologians on the topic of scripture interpretation and specifically discussing homosexuality and the Bible.
October 29, 2019
Worth looking at for Placher’s chapter, but the others were not especially interesting.
April 3, 2025
Excellent and accessible. Brian Blount's chapter was especially good.
October 26, 2016
Short essays that make you think
February 4, 2017
I found this for $.75 at a used book store. What a powerful, short read! This is something of a Post-liberal theology of scripture in a nutshell. The authors are also highly complementary of one another.
June 28, 2017
This book is a great introduction into how reading scripture differently doesn't mean we take it less seriously. To someone who had been taught only to read things (mostly) literally, it opened up a whole new world of active responsibility that I hadn't known I had - the responsibility to truly struggle with the text and context, rather than passively receive its mandates.
You don't have to agree with all of the authors' examples or theological positions to appreciate the importance of this responsibility. If we say we uphold scripture as vital, what vitality do we see? The Word of God is "living and active," and while that doesn't mean it has to be all entirely relative, it does mean that we do need to engage with it in our own time, experience, and inner self. What we find when we actively struggle with scripture will be far more rewarding than hoping we got our first read "right."
Overall, I like the theme of scripture being a conversation starter, not a conversation ender.
You don't have to agree with all of the authors' examples or theological positions to appreciate the importance of this responsibility. If we say we uphold scripture as vital, what vitality do we see? The Word of God is "living and active," and while that doesn't mean it has to be all entirely relative, it does mean that we do need to engage with it in our own time, experience, and inner self. What we find when we actively struggle with scripture will be far more rewarding than hoping we got our first read "right."
Overall, I like the theme of scripture being a conversation starter, not a conversation ender.
January 29, 2017
"(Christians) read all the words as the last word and do what they say, whatever they say...'I won't try to find a way to do differently because it's too hard.' It's supposed to be hard, stupid! Whoever would be my disciple must take up my hard cross and follow, follow daily, follow into tomorrow, where every word is a living word for people living where they are in the present and future, not in somebody else's past".
One of my favorite quotes from the book, it's a reminder that the biblical words are "living" which has been personally hard to grasp over time. I usually want the Word to be a "last word" so I have an answer to a question, etc. Having to live with constant certainty is exhausting. I hope to let go more of my own need for certainty, and let the living word be a questionable mystery that can speak infinitely and never die- because a last word is death, and a living word is life. God is the God of the living, not the dead.
Great read!
One of my favorite quotes from the book, it's a reminder that the biblical words are "living" which has been personally hard to grasp over time. I usually want the Word to be a "last word" so I have an answer to a question, etc. Having to live with constant certainty is exhausting. I hope to let go more of my own need for certainty, and let the living word be a questionable mystery that can speak infinitely and never die- because a last word is death, and a living word is life. God is the God of the living, not the dead.
Great read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2016
This very short book consists of three lectures, in written form. The first is by Walter Brueggemann, the second by William Plancher, and the third by Brian Blount. All three are good, but Brueggemann's piece is stronger than the other two - meatier, deeper, most engaging and better written.
Each take a slightly different view on why we struggle with scripture, but the common thread is that the authors encourage such "struggling" and believe that the Bible deserves to be read with more critical thought than a plain "literal" reading.
Brueggemann goes deep with a few words: he manages to emphasize the importance of the inspired word to Christians, while encouraging imaginative interpretation. I enjoyed this book, and will probably return to it.
Each take a slightly different view on why we struggle with scripture, but the common thread is that the authors encourage such "struggling" and believe that the Bible deserves to be read with more critical thought than a plain "literal" reading.
Brueggemann goes deep with a few words: he manages to emphasize the importance of the inspired word to Christians, while encouraging imaginative interpretation. I enjoyed this book, and will probably return to it.
October 20, 2014
This book really helped me to understand how two people can love the Bible and come down on different sides of issues.
It helped me to recognize how arrogant it is to believe that "if you don't interpret the Bible the same way I do, then obviously you don't take the Bible as seriously as I do".
That sounds moronic now, but honestly, that what many of us are taught to believe. It's our way or the wrong way.
It helped me to recognize how arrogant it is to believe that "if you don't interpret the Bible the same way I do, then obviously you don't take the Bible as seriously as I do".
That sounds moronic now, but honestly, that what many of us are taught to believe. It's our way or the wrong way.
April 20, 2008
We just read this for a church retreat, and I thought the 3 essays (about 'biblical authority') were generally well thought-out and interesting. The authors (from different perspectives) argue against the simple fundamentalist reading of the bible and for the necessity of 'interpreting' the bible and the inevitability of disagreement.
June 17, 2009
This is incredibly short - 60ish pages - and presents three wonderful arguments for taking on the difficult task of biblical interpretation. I might be biased, since one of them is the president of my seminary, but these are well-reasoned lectures on our responsibility when it comes to reading the Bible.
December 9, 2010
This is a must read for anybody who struggles with, or is curious about reading the bible from a faith perspective while acknowledging the age of the text and the fallibility of human authorship. It is especially interesting and good concerning the modern contentious topic of same-sex issues.
June 13, 2012
Everyone should read this book who reads the Bible. If you don't read the Bible read this book anyways to see there are possibilities for biblical interpretation that are not just nuanced versions of the standard fundamentalist bumper sticker, "The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it."
April 29, 2012
Loved this book! It has changed the way I will read scripture and will help me understand it better.
December 18, 2012
Provides no strong argument for why scripture should be accepted as anything more than the fantastic fancies of bronze-age sheiks.
May 14, 2014
Bruggemann's essay was insightful and engaging, Placher's less so but still helpful. Blount's did nothing for me.
September 22, 2012
It was worth a read, and I would recommend it to other pastors.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews