Cadences of Home: Preaching among Exiles

by Walter Brueggemann

Many of today's churchgoers wander in a world that was once structured and reliable, but now feels meaningless and incoherent. In this book, Walter Brueggemann argues for a dynamic transformation of preaching to help people find their spiritual home and to proclaim to the world that there is a home for all people.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christianity

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Walter 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.

Reviews

[Ryan Panzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first attempt at Brueggemann. An excellent analysis of the challenges confronting the church in a secular age.

[Noel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadences of Home is a timely view of how exile functions within scripture as a paradigm for renewal for today's community of faith. Brueggemann writes that, for the Christian church in the early twenty-first century there are three responses to the hegemony of empire (whether the empire in view is Militaristic Consumerism, Evangelical Christianity, American Economic & Military superiority or something else): We can be assimilated into the dominant authority and capitulate to this rival set of values and identity, we can despair that all is lost and that we as a people are helpless, or we can practice an emancipated imagination that dares to challenge the truth claims of our present reality. Isaiah 40-55 is the definitive "hymn book" of Israel's defiant opposition to Babylonian captivity and it is of particular interest to Christians today.

Disciples of Jesus are invited by the gospel to testify to a new reality that is actually a very old reality. It is a dangerous imagination that Christians are called to practice; dangerous because we have to practice it and testify to it out in public. This imagination is first seeded and then nurtured in the midst of Christian community. Smoke and lasers and an even larger mega-church is not the manna that feeds this imagination. It is fed within communities of accountability that train each other to see world that is becoming visible.

A welcome diversion from cook-book leadership books. Brueggemann's work helps me imagine a new future for my tribe and my church community.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thin book is worth more than its weight in gold. It's dense, challenging, humbling, and deeply spiritual. Brueggemann draws a parallel between the nation of Israel during/after the Exile and our cultural situation in the US today. He contends that the modern American form of 'empire' characterized by blind trust in free markets, conspicuous consumption, hyper-individualism, and military domination places people of faith in a situation where they must choose between the dominant values of the empire or the Yahweh-centered universe of the prophets who spoke to the Jewish exiles. It's a bit technical in a few places, but don't let that put you off. When he turns to interpretation, it's beautiful, holy stuff.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book for those teaching/preaching to exiles - those who have enjoyed a season of cultural influence, but are now finding their influence fading. It's an important book for those preaching in to Western disciples of Jesus. Bruegemann addresses issues of hope, gospel, community, scripture, preaching and church. How do these things change for those in exile? How do we remain hopeful while letting go of past glories? Bruegemann reminds us that faith is a journey and it is lived out in history. Faith during times of prosperity and power (like during the Davidic kingdom) is expressed differently and has different challenges than faith lived out during periods of exile. But God remains God and Good News remains Good News.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cadences of Home is a selection of Brueggemann's essays published separately on the theme of exile as a lived reality for contemporary Americans. For a British reader it feels very much America-specific and although he argues that it is relevant for the wider world of Western Christendom, it doesn't quite feel like it. Possibly that is because we have been living in exile for much longer. Possibly it is because the influence of Christianity on British politics does not feel quite as marked as it seems to in America, and therefore its waning is less noticeable.

Even so there is some helpful Biblical analysis here, particularly the last couple of chapters.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author argues that Christians in America are best classified as being in "exile", referring to the time in the OT when the Israelites (Jews) lived as refugees under the power of the Babylonian Empire. Realizing this situation, the author focuses on Bible passages that speak to us in this time (Isaiah 40-55 is the main one) and gives ideas on how to teach, preach and do ministry in our current situation.

[Daniel Harding]

More academic than I assumed at the beginning. Well worth the read and re-read of portions. At times, I'm not sure what Brueggeman was arguing for or against, but his desire to bring the OT to life is very helpful. Should be read by anyone wanting to understand Judaism as well as teach from the OT.