Walter Brueggemann, one of the most revered biblical scholars of the modern era and a prophetic voice in American theology, has died at the age of 92. He passed away peacefully at his home in Michigan on 5 June.
Over the course of a distinguished career spanning more than six decades, Brueggemann authored over 100 books and countless articles, shaping generations of clergy and lay leaders.
His theological legacy endures through the sermons of ministers who drew inspiration from his work - particularly his landmark 1978 publication, The Prophetic Imagination, which has sold more than a million copies and remains widely taught in seminaries today.
Brueggemann was professor emeritus of Old Testament studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, where he taught until his retirement in 2003. A prolific writer, teacher, and preacher, his scholarship centred on the Hebrew Bible, particularly the prophetic texts. His work challenged dominant readings of Scripture and insisted on hearing God’s voice anew in the lived realities of the present day.
“The world of biblical scholarship will never be the same,” said Dr William P Brown, the current William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament.
“Walter Brueggemann single-handedly redefined biblical scholarship for the good of the church and world throughout his prolific service at Columbia Theological Seminary. Countless students and pastors have been transformed by Walter’s teaching and writing. Colleagues too.
"We are all in Walter’s debt for his prophetic imagination, creative words, profound wisdom, prolific energy and sheer grace.”
Although ordained in the United Church of Christ, Brueggemann never held a pastorate. Yet he was in high demand as a preacher and lecturer, known for sermons that were at once deeply rooted in Scripture and unapologetically engaged with social, political and economic realities. He often spoke critically of consumerism, nationalism, and militarism - not out of partisanship, but from a prophetic conviction that faith must confront injustice.
“It is the vocation of the prophet,” he once wrote, “to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing future alternatives to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.”
Born in Tilden, Nebraska, in 1933, Brueggemann grew up in Blackburn, Missouri, where his father was a pastor in the German Evangelical Synod of North America. As a teenager, he and his brother visited a local Black church - an experience that sparked a lifelong concern for social justice.
He earned degrees from Elmhurst College, Eden Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary, and later completed a PhD in education at St Louis University. He joined the faculty of Eden before moving to Columbia Theological Seminary in 1986, where he would spend the rest of his academic career.
Despite his retirement, Brueggemann remained a prolific voice in Christian thought, contributing essays, reflections, and lectures well into his later years. He continued to mentor pastors and students, and was a regular presence at United Church of Christ gatherings.
Brueggemann is survived by his wife, Tia, his sons James and John, and their families.
