Theologians of the Early Church through the 21st Century
William P. Brown: a brief bibliography for the 2026 Rutlen Lecture on Faith & Creation: “Be-Wilded by Wonder: Just Creation in the Book of Job”
Link to Books and Articles by or about Brown, accessible via Luther Sem Library catalog
From our JSTOR database: The Character of Covenant in the Old Testament: A Theocentric Probe, by William P. Brown in The Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, Vol. 16 (1996), pp. 283-293 Brown, JSTOR article
From our ATLA Religion database: Wm Brown Articles in ATLA
For an extensive list of Brown's Articles, Essays and Dictionary entries see his CV
SOTS Public Lecture, Jan 2024: William P. Brown, "'Aesthetizing' Torah: The Case of Psalm 19"
Preaching Series from Working Preacher: For the Life of the World: Season of Creation Week 4 (Year C), August 2013
Sacred Tension : embracing dissonance and dialogue in the Old Testament
by
"The Bible was not written for passive readers or lazy listeners. It was written for active engagement, deliberation, dialogue, and debate, because the Bible itself is fundamentally a conversation." --Old Testament professor and scholar William P. Brown, from Sacred Tension Embrace the complexities of the Old Testament with curiosity and courage. As people of faith, the words of the Bible are sacred. They tell us about our spiritual heritage and convey our ever-present hope. But sometimes, if we're being honest, the Bible -- especially the Old Testament -- can bring more confusion than clarity. Apparent contradictions and a wide variety of different accounts about God, faith, and humanity's role can leave us perplexed with more questions than answers. How are we to read the Bible in a way that helps us understand its deepest truths? In Sacred Tension, renowned biblical scholar and Old Testament professor William P. Brown challenges our unease by suggesting that the "problem" of dissonance within the Old Testament is in fact one of its most powerful features. To read the Bible with one uniform voice, he asserts, is to miss the richness and complexity of the canon. Instead, the Bible is "a canonical cornucopia, a 'horn of plenty' filled with diverse perspectives tied together by a common affirmation that God is God, expressed in different ways." With expert insight and passionate prose, Brown invites us to consider the Old Testament as a wide-ranging dialogue that is in conversation both with itself and with us, fostering further discussion and mutual discernment. Each chapter of Sacred Tension addresses a key question central to the Old Testament texts like the nature of God, the purpose of the Law, and the problem of evil. By exploring these themes through the lens of diverse, and often contradictory, perspectives, you'll begin to gain a more nuanced understanding of the foundational texts that have informed Jewish and Christian beliefs for millennia. Written for everyday people who long to better understand the Bible, Sacred Tension invites us to embrace the complexity of the Old Testament and discover the profound truths that lie within its hallowed pages. Let the conversation begin! Key Features: Accessible language tailored for a general audience Thought-provoking exploration of key Old Testament themes Discussion questions with each chapter Suitable for both personal study, group study, and academic courses
Also see our other brief bibliographies for these Biblical Theologians (of the 20th--21st century)
