Prophets who continue to lead (or end) with their rage have only half of the message, it seems. They have the anger but lack the compassion; mere moral positioning and ethical “answers” are not really the work of conversion. Smug people are not really holy people. These unfinished prophets often pass for the real deal because people confuse firebrands, liberals, zealots, and ideologues for those possessing deeper truth. But just because a person is passionate and skilled at gathering crowds does not mean that she or he knows how or where to lead people beyond that. As Jesus says, “many false
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