Except for a very few small sects, prophecy as an office in which a person received a message directly from God disappeared from Christianity for 2000 years. The institutional Church used canon, creed, educated theologians, and consecrated authority to discern what God was doing and evaluate individual spiritual thoughts and experiences.
Then suddenly in the beginning of the 20th century, movements broke out seeking certainty in the face of the relativism of science and other forms of secular reasoning.
Fundamentalism has received the most attention. It used a particular understanding of the Bible to judge truth in all areas.
Just as significant was the charismatic movement that flourished in all denominations. Individuals claimed God gave them certitude while they were in ecstasy. This could be breaking into tongues or receiving messages in the vernacular. The latter were regarded as prophets in Pentecostal circles.
Although there were similarities to biblical prophets, all the prophecies I heard were beautiful authentications of general Christian teachings.
Typical was a poetically delivered message that pictured Jesus in shining armor riding a magnificent horse. He carried a lance from which a pendant flowed with the words, “Love one another.”
The gift was used to certify the teacher as well as the teachings. Over and over, I heard talks begin with “I am not educated like those other preachers, but God spoke to me last night and this is what he said…”
Obviously, the gift could be used for the prophet’s own advantage as we saw led to the demise of the early Christian prophets. Televangelists claim their special contact with God enabled them to to grant good family, fine health, and lots of money to those who supported their ministry with prayer and cash.
We find ourselves in a time when we need prophets who speak God’s truth to power. We are surrounded by powerful religious and political authorities who claim to speak for God, even when their message is directly contrary to what we find in the Old Testament prophets and Jesus.
Forget the ecstasy. Forget the office. Claim the Spirit given to all of us at baptism and speak truth.
