IMAGINE
By Rev Ray Anglesea
‘IMAGINE’ was the name of a concert of Protest Songs performed by my Newcastle based choir ‘Sing
United’ in Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle in April 2025.
The 12 songs had been skillfully re-arranged for 6-part harmony by the choir’s musical director,
Mark Deeks. Some of you might remember the 60/70s songs including ‘Blowing in the Wind,’ by Bob
Dylan, ‘Peace Train’ by Cat Stevens,’ and a later song ‘Land of Confusion’ by Genesis, not forgetting
of course, ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon.
Although John Lennon’s song Imagine is not one, I enjoyed singing, it remains one of the most
iconic peace anthems of the 20th century, offering a utopian vision of a world free from conflict,
divisions, and materialism. Imagine is a dreamer’s anthem—an invitation to visualize a radically
different world. It offers not a blueprint, but a mirror: reflecting both the world as it is, and the
world as it could be.
Professor Walter Brueggemann, who passed away on June 5, 2025, was a renowned American
biblical theologian who was said to have single-handedly redefined biblical scholarship for the good
of the Church and world. He was without doubt a towering voice in biblical scholarship whose
prophetic imagination and theological depth shaped generations of readers including me when I was
training for the ministry.
Brueggemann’s work emphasized the significance of imagination in theology. Central to his
thought was the concept of “prophetic imagination,” which he explored in depth in his seminal
work, The Prophet Imagination (1978.) As I understood Brueggemann, he defined prophetic
imagination as the capacity to envision and articulate a reality that contrasts with the prevailing
societal cultural norms and ideologies. He argued that the Hebrew prophets, such as Isaiah and
Jeremiah, exemplified this imagination by challenging the dominant power structures of their day,
offering alternative visions rooted in justice, compassion, and divine sovereignty. This imagination is
not merely a passive reflection but an active, creative force that disrupts the status quo and invites
communities to live into a different future.
Contrasting the imaginative thinking of theologian Walter Brueggemann — often drawing from
poetry, scripture, and academic theology with John Lennon’s song “Imagine” reveals two distinct yet
powerful visions of what human life could be — one rooted in biblical theology and prophetic
tradition, the other in secular humanism and utopian idealism.
Brueggeman knew all about the value of imagination and its power to make the world a better
place. “Imagination is a danger,” he wrote, “every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist.” You
can see why. If you have the means to imagine a more beautiful world, you might start to thirst for
it, and if that happens, well, suddenly, you have possibility. The opposite is also true. When we exist
in a harmful feedback loop of cynicism and despair, we lose the ability to imagine that things can be
any different. This is what it’s like to live with no hope.
For sure, Brueggemann’s imagination is grounded in biblical texts. He argued that the Bible invites
us to “re-describe” reality according to God’s promises, not the dominant social and political order.
His work emphasizes God’s alternative vision of justice, liberation, and community — particularly
through the Exodus and the prophets. In all of this thinking Brueggemann argues that religion
is central. Faith communities, particularly the church, are called to nurture a prophetic
imagination — to challenge dominant ideologies e.g., consumerism, militarism and embody God’s
vision of justice and mercy. He maintains that God’s new world is possible through imagination and
resistance. Transformation comes through faithful communities who remember God’s promises and
enact justice, often at great cost. Imagination is prophetic and subversive, breaking the spell of the
status quo.
Lennon’s imagination on the other hand is secular and universalist. “Imagine” proposes a world
without religion, nations, or possessions — a utopia based on human unity, peace, and equality. It
rejects metaphysical or theological frameworks, focusing instead on human agency and rational
hope. Lennon would argue that religion is one of the barriers to peace: “Imagine there’s no heaven…
and no religion too.” For Lennon, religion often divides and causes conflict. He imagines a peace that
arises from the absence of religion, not its fulfilment and would suggest transformation occurs
through human will and shared vision. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” He
appeals to global solidarity and the power of imagination to unify.
I think we’re living in such difficult and dangerous times, right now. Israel, Palestine, Ukraine,
Somalia. “It’s all so awful,” we say. When imagination dies, so does hope. John Lennon imagined
there was no heaven, but imagine if there was? Imagine if the kingdom of heaven was here on earth,
right now, just as Jesus said it was, providing a challenge and an alternative perspective to the
dominant political authoritarian cultures in the world. It is only in that imagining we can find hope.
Walter Brueggemann 1933 – 2025: RIP
