Who are the Prophets?

It's a stubborn fact that American election cycles now feature an abundance of 'words from the Lord,' lobbying voters to support the candidate whom God has selected to serve as next president of the United States. The prophets tell us why God has “chosen them for such a time is this.” Readers might recall the grandiose oracles that foresaw the coronation of Sarah Palin as God's ‘Esther’ for the White House. It seems not to matter how often these pronouncements are proven wrong. Deniability only requires blaming the voters for their defiance against God's revealed will, and castigating the church for not praying hard enough or for being too 'lukewarm' to canvas for the candidate in question.

Track records notwithstanding, an appetite for these heavenly endorsements persists. In the record-breaking FOX News televised debate for GOP candidates, one call-in query "wanted to know if any of them had received a word from God …" The candidates who were cornered for an answer deftly sidestepped the question to return to their talking points, but the moment came off as comically awkward, as if they'd been asked about chronic hemorrhoids or worse. Cringe-worthy.

We waited on the edge of our seats, hoping The Donald would have to respond, but alas, time ran out before that debacle. Still, he could have cited Charisma Magazine's 'Prophetic Insight' webpage, where Jeremiah Johnson treats us to this spiritual scoop:

I was in a time of prayer several weeks ago when God began to speak to me concerning the destiny of Donald Trump in America. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Trump shall become My trumpet to the American people, for he possesses qualities that are even hard to find in My people these days. Trump does not fear man nor will he allow deception and lies to go unnoticed. I am going to use him to expose darkness and perversion in America like never before, but you must understand that he is like a bull in a china closet. Many will want to throw him away because he will disturb their sense of peace and tranquility, but you must listen through the bantering to discover the truth that I will speak through him. I will use the wealth that I have given him to expose and launch investigations searching for the truth. Just as I raised up Cyrus to fulfill My purposes and plans, so have I raised up Trump to fulfill my purposes and plans prior to the 2016 election. You must listen to the trumpet very closely for he will sound the alarm and many will be blessed because of his compassion and mercy. Though many see the outward pride and arrogance, I have given him the tender heart of a father that wants to lend a helping hand to the poor and the needy, to the foreigner and the stranger."    

This is truly amazing. Unlike the woman at the well, I cannot say, "Sir, I perceive you are a prophet." Megyn Kelly might have her doubts as well, given the aftermath clash between them. MeOr as one of Charisma's former contributors put it, "The lines between The Onion and Charisma Magazine have been impossibly blurred." On the other hand, what an incredible opportunity for the author and magazine to now model repentance via retraction. It happens rarely enough that it would be a newsworthy move.

Is there Prophetic Ministry beyond Cynicism?

In the face of prophetic shenanigans, the easiest course is cynicism. The trouble with cynicism is that while it is fashionable, witty and damnably easy, it actually harnesses a kind of prophetic insight but functions to steal hope and shut spiritual ears—the very opposite of prophecy’s intended purpose.

Speaking of cynical, whether you are mourning or cheering the retirement of Jon Stewart from The Daily Show, I would point out that his scathing and often irreverent satire should not be described exactly as cynical, because like him or not, he cared deeply … not entirely dissimilar to his Jewish forbearers (who were not averse to composing 'taunt songs'). No, I won't ask him for a 'word from the Lord.' I'm only underlining the fact that cynicism is a hope-stealer … yet cynicism arises far more as a result of prophetic shenanigans than from those who challenge them.

As for me, I cannot just throw up my hands and renounce all prophecy as goofy, fraudulent or toxic. I actually believe Jesus when he said, "I am sending you prophets, sages, and teachers” (Matt. 23:34). We mustn’t discard God’s genuine gift out of spite for the counterfeit. In spite of the embarrassing antics of some of my brothers and sisters (yes, they are still my spiritual siblings), I mustn’t abandon Jesus' promise or Paul's exhortation: "Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:1).

But then who are the prophets and how do we identify them? If prophecy doesn't look like trumpeting Trump or playing presidential roulette, then what? How do they function and what are they saying?

Prophetic Flavours and Emphases

I propose that when it comes to prophecy, God is at work through multiple streams or forms … even ones that don’t easily recognize each other.

• Contemplative Prophets:

  Christian history has given us wonderful monastics, mystics and sages—from the desert hermits to the Celtic evangelists, great seers from Julian of Norwich to Teresa of Avila, and modern mystics from Thomas Merton to Richard Rohr. The contemplative prophets inspire us to walk the path of purification, illumination and love union with God and one another … inviting us beyond worldly dualisms into communion with God, with each other and with our world.  

• Social Prophets:

  The social prophets are often activists, engaged in justice work on the margins. They are advocates for the poor, the migrant, the minority and the prisoner. They speak and act as peacemakers on the front lines of darkness and chaos. They are known for speaking truth to ‘the powers’ at great risk, and tend to populate the martyrs roll. From Francis of Assisi to Martin Luther King Jr., from Oscar Romero to Dorothy Day and Jim Forest, social prophets swim against the stream of the status quo, voices of the prophetic conscience we’d rather not hear.

Increasingly, the social prophets are speaking to environmental issues. Granted, not everyone who reacts to climate change or jumps on the green bandwagon should be identified as a prophet. But for those who actually want an authentic social prophetic ‘word from the Lord’ should very carefully meditate on Pope Francis’ recent encyclical ‘Laudato Si.’

• Charismatic Prophets:

  We sometimes forget that the root word of ‘charismatic’ is ‘charis’ … grace. It’s odd, then, when the label charismatic is co-opted to mean something like a combination of suave and boisterous. For the Apostle Paul, ‘charisms’ like prophecy were ‘gracelets’—gifts of encouragement among believers whenever the faith community gathered. Charismatic prophecy (a la 1 Cor. 14) is very specifically defined as Spirit-filled words of ‘strength, comfort and encouragement’ in order to build up the Body of Christ in faith, hope and love for Christ and one another.

When charismatic prophets abuse their platform for electioneering, they’ve moved beyond their ‘pay grade’ … but when they operate within the biblical parameters modeled in the NT, the church is nurtured in its love for Christ (which is the point). So, for example, while many others have slipped on political or prosperity banana peels, I’ve found Graham Cooke trustworthy in staying on point through the decades. But even more impressive, it’s not the public prophets who excel in specific, accurate prophetic messages so much as normal laypeople, faithfully sharing uplifting and inviting words of love in their local congregations. 

• Poet Prophets:

  We ought not miss the fact that the biblical prophets are often poets and songwriters. Even beyond the prophetic hymnbook we know as ‘the Psalms,’ most of the Major and Minor prophetic books are extended verse … the Hebrew prophets sang or spoke in lyrics to delight the ear, enter the heart and smite the conscience.

The tradition continues today. When musicians and poets open their ears, the muse they hear is often the Holy Spirit (whether they recognize it or not). And contrary to critics who would rather they ‘shut up and sing,’ prophetic poets and playwrights are compelled to get preachy as the Spirit leads. I can’t think of a better example of a ‘national prophet’ in the spirit of Isaiah or Amos than Bruce Cockburn.

Sir, I perceive you are a prophet!

Actually, on further reflection, Cockburn combines streams to include both the social and the poetic prophetic. He has been singing and writing with blistering poignancy about political oppression, economic corruption and environmental catastrophe for decades. And while Canadians are pleased to claim him, Cockburn’s prophetic edge has cut through the B.S. wherever it’s found … his greatest hits are prophetic indictments against injustice and inequity across Asia, Central America and Africa, for example.

In a recent interview, Cockburn says,

An individual song isn’t going to change the world, but a whole bunch of people singing about an issue and encouraging people to feel the truth of an issue might result in some sort of demographic of resistance that would then affect the choices that the politicians make. And I think that’s what we hope for. 

As above with the Pope’s encyclical, those who are serious about hearing an authentic prophet would do themselves a service my migrating from Charisma to Cockburn and reading his full interview with The Independent at http://theindependent.ca/2015/08/07/in-conversation-with-bruce-cockburn/

A Bone in My Ear 

My favourite Bruce Cockburn song is A Bone in My Ear. One day I’ll ask him about authorial intent, but he’s very generous in letting listeners derive their own meaning from his songs. To me, that ‘bone in my ear’ describes the authentic prophetic voice … it’s something too precious to allow either charlatans or cynics to steal from us. ‘The real deal’ is a pearl of great price worth searching for and clinging to because it whispers ‘rumours of glory’ to our thirsty souls. I close the article with two verses of the song that inspire hope that even today, “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chron. 16:9).

There's a bone in my ear
Keeps singing your name
Sometimes it's like pleasure
Sometimes it's like pain
It's a small voice and quiet
But I hear it plain
There's a bone in my ear
Keeps singing your name

In my heart there's a an image
Like looking through glass
Could be looking at me
Could be looking right past
I don't like it when
I can't tell which is true
But I wouldn't trade the world
For that picture of you

Bruce Cockburn, Bone in My Ear, Dart to the Heart, 1993