When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit
by Jonathan C. Augustine
Who’s it for?
All preachers who care about sermons that reach into the lives of people of faith who want to make a difference in the world.
What’s the main point?
Augustine calls preachers to embrace the preachers’ role in conveying faith in its salvific, social, and civil capacities which means addressing real world problems that affect political matters. Augustine defines “prophetic preaching” as something more profound than preachers telling people how to live. He specifically explores the lives of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. to unpack the meaning of reconciliation.
Why is this book significant / important?
At this time in the history of the world––with wars and famine harrowing people in many parts of the world, with anxiety and dread over the climate change, with natural disasters increasing as the planet responds to the stresses of carbon emissions, with technological options calling upon everyone constantly to adapt to new tools and unknown futures, and more––preachers need to find a way to speak of the world’s reality and the reality of God’s presence in ways that can be heard by the people who are listening. If preaching is to make a difference in how people work toward peace and justice, it is crucial for preachers to reach for deep knowledge of what it is to be “prophetic.”
Why is this book practical?
Augustine defines prophetic preaching as re-describing reality according to God’s values. This places major reliance on God’s word as a critique of power and wealth. When preachers are faced with a drive to address political issues, Augustine outlines four circumstances whose presence is advantageous:
- the pastor is politically oriented––which means aware of socio-economic matters as they are influenced by politics
- the members are receptive to being confronted with the real-world ramifications of faith
- theological positions free the church to respond to a prophetic word because they are not hampered by a theology that disallows protest––the church is not inordinately tied to maintaining the status quo
- the political climate is ripe because the needs of those who are poor, oppressed, and suffering is undeniable
What intrigued me the most?
Augustine carefully lays out the prophetic leaders in scripture who demonstrated the connections between the word of the Lord and the needs of the present moment. To make clear the import of the biblical narratives, he connects the practice of crucifixions in the Roman empire with Jim Crow lynchings in the U.S. In addition, he notes that when asked to teach prayer, Jesus specifically named a common oppression for the poor: “Forgive us our debts.”
Implications.
Given current political divisions in the U.S., this book offers intense encouragement for preachers to speak the truth about
- the damage to democracy from lying in the national square,
- the sin of mis-identifying motives of refugees who seek asylum (i.e., survival) in countries that are not their own,
- the struggles of the poor who have increasing difficulty paying for essentials,
- fundamental causes of homelessness,
- the motives of the oligarchic class, and more.
This book calls preachers to question their temptation to avoid treading on tender territory out of the fear of being rejected by congregants who believe religion is about the afterlife rather than about God’s desire for this world. Looking to Bonhoeffer and MLKing Jr. as models (along with Jesus’ own sermons) for prophetic preaching will energize preachers to desire to emulate these giants.
Jonathan C. Augustine, When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit. Fortress Press, 2023, 152.
REVIEWER: The Rev. Melinda A. Quivik, PhD
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