Elizabethtown College Professor of Sociology, Conrad Kanagy, was recently appointed editor by Fortress Press of three forthcoming books by American theologian Walter Brueggemann. Considered the most influential Old Testament scholar of the last six decades, Brueggemann is the author of more than 100 books.
“Brueggemann was a sociologist before becoming a theologian, and we have been shaped by the same sociological theorists,” Kanagy said. “I am simply humbled at this stage in my career, to have the privilege to tell Walter’s story and to help amplify his amazingly relevant voice. Getting to know Walter has been a healing and restorative experience for me as a former pastor and a professor deeply committed to social justice when so much of the church and society has forgotten what the biblical text says about God’s care for the marginalized.”
The first book, “The Emancipation of God,” is available for preorder on Amazon. The second is titled, “Poverty in the Promised Land.” At the age of 90, Brueggeman continues to be a prolific author, writing four to five books a year.
In addition to editing Brueggemann’s recent works, Kanagy is releasing a biography of the theologian in September (Fortress Press), “Walter Brueggemann’s Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography” and is available now for pre-order.
“In Feb. 2022 I asked Brueggemann if he had a biography I could read,” Kanagy said. “He said no, so I rather audaciously asked if I could write it.”
Throughout the writing process, Kanagy conducted more than 50 interviews with Brueggemann and former students, colleagues, pastors, and family.
“I tried to read his life with the similar hermeneutical lens that he has long used to interpret the biblical text,” Kanagy said.
The biography will shed new light on Brueggemann’s formation within German Evangelical Pietism in rural Missouri, and the impact of this tradition on his spiritual and psychological life.
Kanagy was also chosen to speak at a special session of the Society for Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion this November in San Antonio, Texas. Brueggemann was president of the SBL in 1990 and will attend this year’s annual meeting to celebrate the publication of his biography.
Kanagy’s upcoming book will add to his growing resume of published theological work as he wrote a four-part book series, which began with “A Church Dismantled–A Kingdom Restored: Why is God Taking Apart the Church?” in the fall of 2021.
