--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My judgment is that such a state of…" description: "\"“My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is evident in the exile of Judah but is characteristic of most situations of ministry. When we tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg" --- # My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is… ![“My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is evident in the exile of Judah but is characteristic of most situations of ministry. When we try to face the holding action that defines the sickness, the aging, the marriages, and the jobs of very many people, we find that we have been…” quote by Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg) > ““My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is evident in the exile of Judah but is characteristic of most situations of ministry. When we try to face the holding action that defines the sickness, the aging, the marriages, and the jobs of very many people, we find that we have been nurtured away from hope, for it is too scary. Such hope is an enemy of the very royal consciousness with which most of us have secured a working arrangement. The question facing ministry is whether there is anything that can be said, done, or acted in the face of the ideology of hopelessness.”” [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ministry often confronts pervasive hopelessness that erodes hope and stifles transformative action. **In simple terms:** Hope is suppressed in many ministries, limiting change. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hopelessness to revive purpose. Themes hopelessness ministry hope transformation Mood reflective somber Type theological critical When to use this quote - church leadership - counseling - community organizing - personal reflection Key Concepts theology psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders foster hope without ignoring reality? - What practices sustain hope in oppressive contexts? A Different Perspective Hope can be fragile and may be resisted by entrenched structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facing Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-ministry-3410424/) [Ideology Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology-hopelessness-3410426/) [Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) [Ministry Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry-said-3410427/) [Situations Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations-ministry-3410425/) ## Related quotes > [Imagination is a danger thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/imagination-is-a-danger-thus-every-totalitarian-regime-is-frightened/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/this-change-to-a-higher-phase-of-alert-is-a-signal-to-governments-to/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [I draw comfort in the valley situations when realizing it takes two mountains to form one valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-w-griffin/i-draw-comfort-in-the-valley-situations-when-realizing-it-takes-two/) [Kenneth W Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-w-griffin/) > [This is a ministry that has been given to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/this-is-a-ministry-that-has-been-given-to-me/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/the-mystery-of-ministry-is-that-we-have-been-chosen-to-make-our-own/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry, and other relationships are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/countless-mistakes-in-marriage-parenting-ministry-and-other/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [To cut off the sinner from all reliance upon himself, his merits and his powers; and throw him, naked and helpless, into the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichabod-spencer/to-cut-off-the-sinner-from-all-reliance-upon-himself-his-merits-and/) [Ichabod Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichabod-spencer/) > [Our covering ministry is Challenge for Christ ministries, and Travel the Road was solely our mission arm, designed to expose people to what missions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/our-covering-ministry-is-challenge-for-christ-ministries-and-travel/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Any ministry to black people which is not designed to effect their empowerment is designed to perpetuate their enslavement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-ministry-to-black-people-which-is-not-designed-to-effect-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The earth endured Christ's ministry only three years;--not three weeks after his real character and purposes were generally known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-earth-endured-christ-s-ministry-only-three-years-not-three-weeks/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“Great thoughts go best with common duties. Whatever therefore may be you office regard it as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-foss-westcott/great-thoughts-go-best-with-common-duties-whatever-therefore-may-be/) [Brooke Foss Westcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-foss-westcott/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) ## More by Walter Brueggemann > [“In the end, ethical interpretation of the Bible means to think critically about how our practices of textual engagement might help us to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/in-the-end-ethical-interpretation-of-the-bible-means-to-think/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The world for which you have been so carefully prepared is being taken away from you, by the grace of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-world-for-which-you-have-been-so-carefully-prepared-is-being/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Every imperial agent wants to reduce what is possible to what is available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/every-imperial-agent-wants-to-reduce-what-is-possible-to-what-is/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The outcome is to delegitimize and deconstruct the kings in effective ways in order to show that while they occupy the forms of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-outcome-is-to-delegitimize-and-deconstruct-the-kings-in-effective/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The church meets to imagine what our lives can be like if the gospel were true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-church-meets-to-imagine-what-our-lives-can-be-like-if-the-gospel/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“Pharaoh is clearly a metaphor. He embodies and represents raw, absolute, worldly power. He is, like Pilate after him, a stand-in for the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/pharaoh-is-clearly-a-metaphor-he-embodies-and-represents-raw-absolute/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The news enacted by Elisha is reperformed by Jesus. It is, subsequently, performed in many other venues, sometimes by the followers of Jesus, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-news-enacted-by-elisha-is-reperformed-by-jesus-it-is-subsequently/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [People notice peacemakers because they dress funny. We know how the people who make war dress - in uniforms and medals, or in computers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/people-notice-peacemakers-because-they-dress-funny-we-know-how-the/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“Only those who embrace the reality of death will receive the new life. Implicit in his statement is that those who do not mourn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/only-those-who-embrace-the-reality-of-death-will-receive-the-new-life/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The truth that is variously enacted by such agents is not an idea or a proposition. It is rather a habit of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-truth-that-is-variously-enacted-by-such-agents-is-not-an-idea-or/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“The same subversion of power by truth is evident in the way in which Luke begins his account of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-same-subversion-of-power-by-truth-is-evident-in-the-way-in-which/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [We now know that human transformation does not happen through didacticism or through excessive certitude, but through the playful entertainment of another scripting of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/we-now-know-that-human-transformation-does-not-happen-through/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [“It occurs to me that the situation of the church in our society, perhaps the church everywhere always, is entrusted with a truth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/it-occurs-to-me-that-the-situation-of-the-church-in-our-society/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [The gospel is fiction when judged by the empire, but the empire is fiction when judged by the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/the-gospel-is-fiction-when-judged-by-the-empire-but-the-empire-is/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) > [Hope requires a very careful symbolization. It must not be expressed too fully in the present tense because hope one can touch and handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/hope-requires-a-very-careful-symbolization-it-must-not-be-expressed/) [Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) [Explore all 71 Walter Brueggemann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/) ## More Ministry quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [“Great thoughts go best with common duties. Whatever therefore may be you office regard it as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-foss-westcott/great-thoughts-go-best-with-common-duties-whatever-therefore-may-be/) [Brooke Foss Westcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-foss-westcott/) > [The earth endured Christ's ministry only three years;--not three weeks after his real character and purposes were generally known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-earth-endured-christ-s-ministry-only-three-years-not-three-weeks/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“Any ministry to black people which is not designed to effect their empowerment is designed to perpetuate their enslavement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-ministry-to-black-people-which-is-not-designed-to-effect-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our covering ministry is Challenge for Christ ministries, and Travel the Road was solely our mission arm, designed to expose people to what missions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/our-covering-ministry-is-challenge-for-christ-ministries-and-travel/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [To cut off the sinner from all reliance upon himself, his merits and his powers; and throw him, naked and helpless, into the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichabod-spencer/to-cut-off-the-sinner-from-all-reliance-upon-himself-his-merits-and/) [Ichabod Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichabod-spencer/) > [Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry, and other relationships are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/countless-mistakes-in-marriage-parenting-ministry-and-other/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/the-mystery-of-ministry-is-that-we-have-been-chosen-to-make-our-own/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [This is a ministry that has been given to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/this-is-a-ministry-that-has-been-given-to-me/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [I draw comfort in the valley situations when realizing it takes two mountains to form one valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-w-griffin/i-draw-comfort-in-the-valley-situations-when-realizing-it-takes-two/) [Kenneth W Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-w-griffin/) > [This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/this-change-to-a-higher-phase-of-alert-is-a-signal-to-governments-to/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [Please give us a simple answer, so that we don't have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don't fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/please-give-us-a-simple-answer-so-that-we-don-t-have-to-think-because/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 789 Ministry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is evident in the exile of Judah but is characteristic of most situations of ministry. When we try to face the holding action that defines the sickness, the aging, the marriages, and the jobs of very many people, we find that we have been nurtured away from hope, for it is too scary. Such hope is an enemy of the very royal consciousness with which most of us have secured a working arrangement. The question facing ministry is whether there is anything that can be said, done, or acted in the face of the ideology of hopelessness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Brueggemann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affairs-not-only-is-evident-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ministry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affairs-not-only-is-evident-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c79/walter-brueggemann-9698_quote_my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affa_1984977.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My judgment is that such a state of affairs not only is evident in the exile of Judah but is characteristic…” — Walter Brueggemann", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Walter Brueggemann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“My judgment is that such a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affairs-not-only-is-evident-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/my-judgment-is-that-such-a-state-of-affairs-not-only-is-evident-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```