Throughout the Biblical witness there are a number of prophets. There are your well known prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah and even Jesus. There are some known characters in the Bible who are prophets but people may not know they are considered prophets such as Jonah or Peter. There are modern day prophets - who are usually easier to identify or we come to a consensus on after they have died - such as MLK or Mother Teressa or Shane Claiborn (who is still alive).
The role of the prophet in the Bible is generally two fold which seems to be a paradox at first: prophets call us back in order to move us forward.
Prophets call us back into relationship or covenant with the Creator/Sustainer/Redeemer God when we as a society have gone astray. It is when we are called back into relationship with God that we are able to actually move forward toward a greater, more loving and just society. It is not rocket science, but is usually is dangerous work.
The role of the prophet is not to remove or purge evil from society. All of the prophet is called to do and be is the messenger. It is God who is the remover of 'evil'.
However, there are some in the Christian community for which this is not very clear. There are some in the community who feel it is their job to not only identify what they think of as evil but also to remove it by themselves.
It is my prayer that Christians around the world would come together to pray that the Spirit of the Holy God would move in the community that wants to burn Korans/Qurans.
It is the action of the prophet to call people back into relationship with God so that society can move forward. Jesus never burned the holy books of another religion (and to my knowledge Jesus never addressed religious pluralism). Jesus was far more concerned with his own religious tradition moving back into right relationship with God.
What if Christians stopped worrying about other people's religious beliefs and focused that energy to live the fullest Christian life possible? What if instead of working to eradicate other religions by "driving them out", we Christians lived a life that drew people into a life of Faith?
It is my prayer that more Christians would take on the mantle of prophet and call people back into relationship with God in order society may move forward.
The role of the prophet in the Bible is generally two fold which seems to be a paradox at first: prophets call us back in order to move us forward.
Prophets call us back into relationship or covenant with the Creator/Sustainer/Redeemer God when we as a society have gone astray. It is when we are called back into relationship with God that we are able to actually move forward toward a greater, more loving and just society. It is not rocket science, but is usually is dangerous work.
The role of the prophet is not to remove or purge evil from society. All of the prophet is called to do and be is the messenger. It is God who is the remover of 'evil'.
However, there are some in the Christian community for which this is not very clear. There are some in the community who feel it is their job to not only identify what they think of as evil but also to remove it by themselves.
It is my prayer that Christians around the world would come together to pray that the Spirit of the Holy God would move in the community that wants to burn Korans/Qurans.
It is the action of the prophet to call people back into relationship with God so that society can move forward. Jesus never burned the holy books of another religion (and to my knowledge Jesus never addressed religious pluralism). Jesus was far more concerned with his own religious tradition moving back into right relationship with God.
What if Christians stopped worrying about other people's religious beliefs and focused that energy to live the fullest Christian life possible? What if instead of working to eradicate other religions by "driving them out", we Christians lived a life that drew people into a life of Faith?
It is my prayer that more Christians would take on the mantle of prophet and call people back into relationship with God in order society may move forward.