As a teenager, Brueggemann and his brother visited a Black church on the edge of town. It later influenced his commitment to social justice.
His academic journey began at Elmhurst College (now university), in Elmhurst, Illinois. He went on to study at Eden Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary. He received a Ph.D. in education from St. Louis University, while teaching at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He left Eden for Columbia Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school, in 1986.
Brueggemann, however, remained an active minister in the United Church of Christ. He was a frequent speaker at its conferences as well as a mentor to countless church leaders.
He is survived by his wife, Tia, and by his sons James and John and their families.
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 at his home in Michigan. He was 92.){kind=link}