Prayers for a Privileged People

Walter Brueggemann's Prayers for a Privileged People attempts to bridge the world we live in with the retreat we have in prayer life. In this sense, he looks as much to the newspaper as the Bible in choosing his prayer objects. While this approach may work in a collect, I found these prayers too impersonal for personal prayer.Brueggemann's prayers are generally a page or two in lengthen and he organizes them into six sections: 1. Opening our hearts: The Collect, 2. Well-arranged lives, 3. The world in not safe, 4. Brick production, 5. Can we risk it? and 6. Choirs of hope. The topics he chooses are timely (e.g. Super Bowl Sunday, p. 25) and provocative (e.g. On Controlling Our Borders, p. 95).I approached this book as a devotional. For me, devotional prayer follows a certain rhythm. My selfish heart needs to be warmed up. The ACTS format works to warm up the heart and push it into more generous realms known only to the head. By eschewing structure and rhythm Brueggemann leaves the supplicant to feel guilty and inadequate. While this may be a legitimate objective in a congregational prayer, where the typical worship service frames the collect with other forms of worship and prayer, the objective of personal prayer is more normally to build relationship with God and foster spiritual growth.Stephen W. Hiemstra

Great angsty prayers. They follow the church year...although I’m not sure I could use these in the liturgy. Some yes, others no. I enjoyed reading these and they are benefits to seeing another’s prayer language.

This book has been a critical addition to my devotional and teaching times, opening my imagination to a new depth of prayer characterized by reality in both grief and hope. I recommend this book to all my congregants wishing to go to new depths in prayer, particularly in the context of the United States.

I am late to the table for Brueggemann's writings' This book came at a time when I needed it and now I have several of this other books. If you feel you are living through difficult times, this might be the book for you. It gave me hope, something in short supply with recent events.

This is a book which you can read again and again. Each prayer is long enough to guide you through serious contemplation of the theme of the prayer, but short enough so as not to intimidate. There are nuggets of expression in each prayer which will stay with you for a lifetime.

I have never seen prayers like the ones Brueggemann prays here. They are powerful; they get the congregation's attention; surely they get God's attention. What a feel for the language! I am new to the worship field, although I have written for decades. My pastor has powerful prayers, and I am beginning to get the feel of public prayer, but this is a model of praying that I will work hard to approach. (Work hard = become more spiritual.)

These soul wrenching honest prayers cry out to God to help us look beyond our norm, and be renewed with hearts of love, humility, justice, and gratitude.

No

This was bought after a recommendation and it's full of good resources.

The prayers are interesting and inspiring. I like the fact that he uses modern, up-to-date language that makes the prayers relevant for today.

Excellent transaction and wonderful book.