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I was reading something on Substack Notes where someone noted comedians are our modern prophets. My response to that was “huh.” I’m just a simple pastor, but when I read the prophets in the Bible, they don’t tend to be the type of people that are popular and getting laughs. Most of the time they didn’t want the job and they seemed to be hated by their listeners.
But I’ve noticed for years that whenever the word prophetic is used, it’s almost always about people who say something someone likes. Being that I’m in the Mainline, the word prophetic is almost always applied to politically progressive people. You rarely hear that applied to a moderate or conservative.
What does it mean to be prophetic?
Returning guest Ryan Self argues that we need to better understand the meaning of a prophet, especially in these days of influencers. Self wrote a two-part series on his Substack last month titled “Preachers, Prophets and Politicians.” He wrote the following in his first essay: “A prophetic voice is not simply one that speaks passionately about injustice—it is one that speaks truth consistently, even when that truth is uncomfortable for its own audience. Your willingness or not to criticize your own side shows whether you are being “prophetic” or just partisan.”
So today we are talking about what it means to have a prophetic voice. Ryan Self is a communications professional in Austin, Texas. The native Texan has a good Substack called Ryan’s Boring Book Club where he writes on culture, politics and yes, book reviews.
Shownotes:
Preachers, Prophets and Politicians (Part 1)
Preachers, Prophets and Politicians (Part Two)
Don’t make Colbert a free speech martyr
Related Episodes:
LGBTQ Allies and Effective Inclusion with Ryan Self | Episode 243
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