When a group of us studied the psalms earlier this year I drew upon a number of books in my personal library yet I wish I'd had access to one more that I wasn't aware of. It is William P. Brown's Deep Calls to Deep: The Psalms in Dialogue and Disruption. I have been an admirer of Presbyterian ordained minister and professor Bill Brown for many years. His books about scripture and the environment are both insightful and accessible. I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Brown and chat with him over lunch while attending a Presbyterians for Earth Care conference in Colorado a while ago.
As the title suggests, Brown addresses the polarization in his country, the United States of America, yet it seems the themes would be worthwhile to explore here in Canada and other countries where respectful dialogue has been replaced by strident declamation. Associate Professor Nyasha Junior from the University of Toronto describes Brown's book this way:
The Psalms can help us during a time of disruption and division. Deep Calls to Deep demonstrates a new and generative way of reading the Bible, which looks for differences among texts to engage in dialogue over critical issues that are not only biblical but also are relevant to our contemporary crises.
Bill Brown explores uncharted territory in the Bible with a particular focus on the Psalms, the most diverse book of the Bible. By taking his cue from Martin Luther, Brown explores how the "little bible" (the Psalter) engages the larger Hebrew Bible in dialogue, specifically how the Psalms counter, complement, reconstrue, and transform biblical traditions and themes across the Hebrew canon, from creation and law to justice and wisdom.
In this deep study of the Psalms, Brown asks: - What is humanity's place and role in creation? - What makes for a credible leader? - What is "law and order"? - What is the role of wisdom in the life of faith? - What is the shape of justice in a society polarized by power and fear?
These and other questions, such as a chapter that offers a fresh look at the authority of Scripture, are hosted by the Psalms with the aim of prompting dialogue, the kind of dialogue that is most needed in a time of deep division and disruption.
Okay, I'll concede that I'm a nerd, but I would love to be in conversation about these themes. It does seem that our world desperately needs what Deep Calls to Deep has to offer.
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