Praying the Psalms, Second Edition

”“I am so glad to see this second edition of Praying the Psalms. In it Walter Brueggemann reveals the ways in which the Psalms teach the mother tongue of biblical speech by inviting us to the risk of daring candor with God.The contemporary church in North America regularly suffers collective amnesia in the face of the languages of techno-speak, market share and sentimental cliché that shape the world we inhabit. Praying the Psalms offers a surprising antidote to this chronic forgetfulness. It invites us to recover our ancient memory and true identity by learning again to pray the Psalms. I know of no better book for introducing a congregation to the Psalms than this one.”” – Edwin Searcy, Pastor, University Hill Congregation, United Church of Canada, Vancouver, BC “”‘The Psalms just don’t speak to me.’ Anyone who has ever felt this way should read Brueggemann’s book… . He shows how these ancient prayers can lead us from the disorientation of our chaotic lives into a reorientation of transformation. His treatment of both the post-Holocaust Christian use of these very Jewish prayers and the troublesome call for vengeance is most timely. This book shows how the Psalms can indeed speak to us.“” – Dianne Bergant, CSA author of ‘Preaching the New Lectionary’ “”… Brueggemann pushes me and other readers to recognize the full gamut of passions reflected in the Psalms: joy and exultation but also disappointment, sorrow, anger, resentment, even the desire for vengeance… . I am grateful to Brueggemann for making me more alert to what the Psalms are saying about our common human relation to God and more honest about my own feelings as I pray the Psalms every day as part of the Liturgy of the Hours.“” – Joseph A. Bracken, SJ coauthor of ‘Self-Emptying Love in a Global Context’ ““Few persons have so lived in and with the Psalms as Walter Brueggemann. Here he takes us into their depths, which are so clearly the depths of our human existence. The piety of the Psalms is strong medicine. Brueggemann bids us take it for the cure of our souls.”” –Patrick D. Miller author of Interpreting the Psalms and They Cried to the Lord

Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is the author of numerous works including ‘Theology of the Old Testament,’ ‘Inscribing the Text,’ ‘Prophetic Imagination,’ and ‘David’s Truth.’