The son of a minister of the German Evangelical Synod of North America, he was ordained in the United Church of Christ.
Beginning in 1986, he served as William Marcellus McPheeters professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, from which he retired in the early 2000s.
[page needed] Originally a strong supporter of modern day Israel and its biblical claims, Brueggemann later repudiated Israel for its exploitation of "ancient promises" to create a "toxic ideology," and now affirms his belief that it is not anti-Semitic to stand up for justice for Palestinians.
His most notable work was on the book of Psalms, and he has written many monographs and articles on specific portions of the Hebrew Bible.
For example, he believes that lament is lacking in current religious faith and practice with detrimental results according to the subject.
His development of Old Testament theological methods consists of literary mode, social function, and dialectical approach.