It Hard Out Here For A Prophet!
I know…I know I have plenty of work to be doing tonight for this final semester of seminary and it is Holy Week, but this has been on my mind all day.
My thoughts have been sparked by the recent controversy surrounding Barak Obama and Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright. I find the attack on both Obama and Wright disheartening and out of context. Never in American politics has a presidential candidates pastor been at the center of such controversy.
-Why is it fine for those running for political office to prance into our Black Churches during the elections season and we see them no more until re-election time?
-Why do this same political leaders show up in our churches, when they seek to enforce a separation of Church and State (when considering 501(c)3 status) but not attend our churches during any other time of year and refuse our invitations to come to the community prayer vigil for poverty and police brutality?
- It is George Bush, isn’t it, who has publicly professed on numerous occasions that he speaks personally with God on how Americans should attack foreign nations? Does he even have a pastor?
-Why is it that with all that the Black Church has endured throughout American history that now the media has tried to take 30 years of prophetic preaching and condense it down to a 30 second sound bite?
Might I place these questions alongside what I see as the arrogance of America. This "above all others" mentality has caused me great pain. Why is it that this nation feels as though it is above critique in general and prophetic critique in particular? What is it that causes us to invade others and teach them "civilized" ways of living (colonization) and think we have no work to do here on our own soil? What is it about our nation that makes us sing "God Bless America" and America only?
It is hard out here for a prophet.
Part of the notion is due to folks like (dare I say it) Prophetess Juanita Bynum and Prophet/Bishop E. Bernard Jordan. They have taken the name prophet and have sought to use it for “profit,” and the result of this causes a distortion in meaning. While folks come running to these prophetesses and prophets asking when will my financial breakthrough come, is my husband on the way or was the doctor wrong in his medical diagnosis, the prophets of old critiqued the government and sought to challenge the injustice taking place in society. Such biblical prophets as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Haggai and John the Baptist spoke to the nations regarding social injustice and God’s displeased nature because of social sin.
Yet, the most prophetic of all biblical prophets was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has not been (at least for me) a submissive/passive Savior. No, No! Jesus has gone to the margins, critiqued the Sanhedrin and attended to the least of these. His prophetic ministry was to completely reconstruct the social and religious arrogance which was plaguing society. This is the in-braking of the Kingdom Jesus spoke of (Shout out to Dr. Blount here)
What more has prophetic preaching in American done than follow the example of Jesus? Wright and so many others, despite the arrogance of this nation, have spoke “truth to power” and called out American publicly on it treatment towards the least of these. To be prophetic is a portion of our Christian responsibility!
Yet and still, it’s hard out here for a prophet!
Even our Lord and Savior Jesus demonstrate this. On this Holy Week we are reminded that for his critique of the social government that our Savior was crucified. The government sought to bury him, his message and prevent his political movement from going forward.
This is what the media is seeking to do today. When American stand on the brink of something new, something contagious, something that could bring forth positive change and reconstruction, the media assists in trying to crucify Wright, Obama and dare I say the future of this nation.
Yet, there is hope! Because despite the attempts to kill our Lord and Savior we are reminded that Christ entered death but returned triumphant. That the battle was won and the tomb could not hold him.
Obama, my prayer for you is that of the old Negro Spiritual, “Guide my feet, while I run this race…for I don’t want to run this race in vain.”
Wright, my prayer for you is also found in an old Negro Spiritual, “I've seen the lightening flash, I've heard the thunder roll, I've felt sin breakers dashing trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave, never to leave me alone. No, never alone, no never alone, He promised never to leave me alone, He'll claim me for his own…He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."
Yes, it is hard out here for a prophet, but somebody’s got to do it.
Sign me up!
My thoughts have been sparked by the recent controversy surrounding Barak Obama and Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright. I find the attack on both Obama and Wright disheartening and out of context. Never in American politics has a presidential candidates pastor been at the center of such controversy.
-Why is it fine for those running for political office to prance into our Black Churches during the elections season and we see them no more until re-election time?
-Why do this same political leaders show up in our churches, when they seek to enforce a separation of Church and State (when considering 501(c)3 status) but not attend our churches during any other time of year and refuse our invitations to come to the community prayer vigil for poverty and police brutality?
- It is George Bush, isn’t it, who has publicly professed on numerous occasions that he speaks personally with God on how Americans should attack foreign nations? Does he even have a pastor?
-Why is it that with all that the Black Church has endured throughout American history that now the media has tried to take 30 years of prophetic preaching and condense it down to a 30 second sound bite?
Might I place these questions alongside what I see as the arrogance of America. This "above all others" mentality has caused me great pain. Why is it that this nation feels as though it is above critique in general and prophetic critique in particular? What is it that causes us to invade others and teach them "civilized" ways of living (colonization) and think we have no work to do here on our own soil? What is it about our nation that makes us sing "God Bless America" and America only?
***Jeremiah Wright said “the Government gives us the drugs, builds bigger
prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God bless
America. No, No! Not God bless America. God damn
America. That’s in the Bible. (THE MEDIA ALWAYS STOPS THE SERMON
HERE…BUT WRIGHT CONTINUES) For killing innocent people: God damn America.
For treating senior citizens as less than humane: God damn America. For
sending off young men and women to die in a war that nobody understand: God damn
America.” ***
It is hard out here for a prophet.
Part of the notion is due to folks like (dare I say it) Prophetess Juanita Bynum and Prophet/Bishop E. Bernard Jordan. They have taken the name prophet and have sought to use it for “profit,” and the result of this causes a distortion in meaning. While folks come running to these prophetesses and prophets asking when will my financial breakthrough come, is my husband on the way or was the doctor wrong in his medical diagnosis, the prophets of old critiqued the government and sought to challenge the injustice taking place in society. Such biblical prophets as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Haggai and John the Baptist spoke to the nations regarding social injustice and God’s displeased nature because of social sin.
Yet, the most prophetic of all biblical prophets was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has not been (at least for me) a submissive/passive Savior. No, No! Jesus has gone to the margins, critiqued the Sanhedrin and attended to the least of these. His prophetic ministry was to completely reconstruct the social and religious arrogance which was plaguing society. This is the in-braking of the Kingdom Jesus spoke of (Shout out to Dr. Blount here)
What more has prophetic preaching in American done than follow the example of Jesus? Wright and so many others, despite the arrogance of this nation, have spoke “truth to power” and called out American publicly on it treatment towards the least of these. To be prophetic is a portion of our Christian responsibility!
Yet and still, it’s hard out here for a prophet!
Even our Lord and Savior Jesus demonstrate this. On this Holy Week we are reminded that for his critique of the social government that our Savior was crucified. The government sought to bury him, his message and prevent his political movement from going forward.
This is what the media is seeking to do today. When American stand on the brink of something new, something contagious, something that could bring forth positive change and reconstruction, the media assists in trying to crucify Wright, Obama and dare I say the future of this nation.
Yet, there is hope! Because despite the attempts to kill our Lord and Savior we are reminded that Christ entered death but returned triumphant. That the battle was won and the tomb could not hold him.
Obama, my prayer for you is that of the old Negro Spiritual, “Guide my feet, while I run this race…for I don’t want to run this race in vain.”
Wright, my prayer for you is also found in an old Negro Spiritual, “I've seen the lightening flash, I've heard the thunder roll, I've felt sin breakers dashing trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave, never to leave me alone. No, never alone, no never alone, He promised never to leave me alone, He'll claim me for his own…He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."
Yes, it is hard out here for a prophet, but somebody’s got to do it.
Sign me up!
Great thoughts Courtney. I too wonder why politicians who claim so desperately to be Christians (often for the sake of swing votes!) do not also subject themselves to the prophetic call of the Gospel to humility which is so clearly evident in the life of the True Prophet, Christ. I also really appreciate your comments about Bush and his apparent lack of a pastor. We hear all the time about the President's chaplain or pastor (Hybells, Haggard, Billy Graham...and others) but we never hear anything about their participation in the local congregation in DC or in a small group...places where we value communal discernment of God's voice. Right now I think that's what separates prophets of today from long ago. Our prophets today are simply often (but not always) speaking from the individualistic margins of society and disconnected from the community in some respects. But let's lift up a few contemporary examples of people who defied this and I think their connection to the communities of faith are part of the reason they were "successful." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Theresa come to mind right away. So let us give thanks to God for our modern day prophets who followed in the footsteps of Christ in ways only seen once or twice in a generation. Here's to hoping that there are more prophets out there (and maybe some just about to graduate from seminary!).
Again, thank you for your thoughts.
- Josh Erickson
Posted by
Anonymous |
3/22/2008 10:28 AM
in this, post-civil-rights age, america is set on having the prophets of baal speak, rather than those of the true and living God. it does not want to be reminded of the Elijahs and Moses' of yester-year.
until our nation removes its abominable idols from high places, we will continue to have this problem.
as for the prophet, they must continue to embrace the life and death of Jesus Christ. he is the shining example of life and death. fore, even if the prophets dies, they will receive their reward. to live is Christ and to die is gain. the prophet is really only faced with, "win-win," situation. the hardest thing is embracing this notion.
keep standing for the Lord.
koop
Posted by
Anonymous |
4/04/2008 2:16 PM