This isn't exactly the book I thought it would be. I only skimmed it as it was not the content I was expecting, but it seems like it gives a good background on the promised land of Israel and the ongoing conflict with Palestine..

A short work by Brueggemann detailing a change of heart he has hard regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue, framed as a work to be used within mainline Protestant denominations to justify and explain divestment from Israel.

For his part Brueggemann focuses primarily on the text and theological issues. He attempts to ride the line between certain OT passages which seem to suggest Israel is given the land unconditionally with other passages that make it quite clear it is conditionally given. He does so by suggesting the land is given unconditionally but held conditionally.

His change of heart is based on Israel's stockpiling of weapons and treatment of the Palestinians. This will not make him many fans in the Jewish community, nor among Zionists of Jewish or Christian persuasions.

He also uses quite strong terms to denounce any concept of supersessionism but never, at least in this work, gets around to making a coherent argument against it, especially in light of how he demonstrates agreement that both Paul and Peter appropriate the language of Israel to speak of Christianity and the church. One must wonder if there is a confessional bias which proves difficult to sustain textually in these regards.

Quite frankly, not one of Brueggemann's better works. It seems highly politically motivated; it's not as if the exegesis is thoroughly unsound as much as simply convenient. Given in perpetuity but only held conditionally? Why bother?