Prayers for a Privileged People

In Prayers for a Privileged People, this much-published author sculpts—as carefully as if with chisel—prayers on behalf of those who are people of privilege and entitlement—the haves—at an urgent moment in our society. The privileged face, on the one hand, the seduction of denial or, on the other, the temptation of despair. These prayers of wisdom and prophetic power remind us that when things go wrong, when we are afraid, and when we feel prodded by those who lack voice, there is a conversation we can have—a conversation situated amid the promises and commands of God.From the Circuit Rider review: “This is a beautiful collection of poetic and prophetic prayers, words to be prayed with, mulled over, pondered, savored—and challenged by. For in this little text, we glimpse a side of Brueggemann we may not have known through his rich Scripture studies alone. Here, he draws on not only his extensive years of study and teaching of the Psalms and the prophets, but his own faith immersion in the church year and in the liturgies of the church.” (Click here to read the entire review.)

Author Biography

Walter Brueggemann (1933-2025), one of today’s preeminent interpreters of Scripture, was William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He authored numerous scholarly articles and over one hundred books, including his magnum opus Theology of the Old Testament, The Prophetic Imagination, and Message of the Psalms.