The Time Is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage

by Joan D. Chittister

Prophetic spirituality requires us to think and study about causes as well as consequences. We begin to ask why people are sleeping in metro stations in the richest country in the world, why in my small town there are not enough beds at night to shelter people from the snow and cold. I ask why there are no funds available for college education for average students. We begin to refuse to take reports for granted and begin to look for answers instead. Prophetic spirituality leads us to understand our own role as “herald in the camp,” the watchman of which Isaiah speaks when he repeats his call to prophesy: “I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” Today’s prophets take it as their responsibility to explore what it means to run a hedge fund; to bundle debt; to argue for the right to discriminate against those who are gay, for instance, on religious grounds. Most of all, they set out to help others understand what’s going on so we can all do something about it together. The seeker who understands the place of prophetic spirituality in a mature Christianity takes responsibility to spread the word. She holds seminars or article discussions on the topic. She distributes material that outlines and explains the articles so that others can become comfortable with the topic, too. The prophetic Christian identifies with the issue. She becomes a lay expert on the questions and concerns of people wi...