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Rating: 
Summary: Testimony to Preaching Either/or Altrnative
Review: Our distinguished Prof begins with his familiar theme,"preaching from the Old Testament raises the sticky christological issue about finishing-up Old Testament texts in reference to Jesus." This sounds familiar to those former students who heard his oft-repeated differences with Prof Brevard Childs by closing each OT sermon with connecting texts to Jesus' words. Without wasting time in the next paragraph Prof Bruegge relegates his familiar christological question to one of the ecclesial question. "I understand preaching to be the chance to summon and nurture an alternative community with an alternative identity, vision and vocation..." Following his repeated fashion from OT Theology class he sets-up the unique parallel for an either/or alternative. His first dominant statement begins at Mount Carmel when Elijah challenges Israel: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions?" He cruises thru several texts from Joshua in dialogue about "church growth" and the community! Prof Bruegge always delivers multiple texts to support his major point of emphasis! One of his distinguished hosts at Mercer-McAfee Self Lectures on Jeremiah, introduced him as "One who can describe the indescribable, who can explain the unexplicable and scrutinize the inscrutable!" It was John Claypool who introduced our OT Professor. He earlier noted him as a great role model who sets the example of writing the sermon text as the Interpreter and then acts out the prepared script as the Actor who speaks! When we hear his recital of Elijah's mighty works we're likely to name our current role-models and carriers of "the Otherwise either/or alternatives, such as Clarence Jordan, who defied racism in the South; Nelson Mandela, who did not grow weary or cynical while waiting in prison; Martin Luther King, who dreamed beyond hatred..." Bruegge continues to capture the essential themes of both OT and NT in teaching thru exegesis whether class lectures or in his many-faced books which focus upon Preaching!
Recommended Highly...Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood
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