The prophetic ministry of the pulpit

I’ve always wanted to know more about how biblical scholar Ellen Davis envisions the notion of the “prophetic interpreter,” which she discusses at the beginning of her 2014 book Biblical Prophecy. She defines biblical prophets as those who “interpreted the faith for their time, and equally, they interpreted the times for the faithful” and suggests that prophetic interpretation rooted in that tradition can be embodied in today’s church. But what does that embodiment look like? How can pastors and lay preachers bring this notion of prophecy into the pulpit?

Jonathan Augustine provides an answer in When Prophets Preach. Channeling the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., Augustine addresses both the church in general and clergy in particular. He makes a strong case for the importance of preaching that “is both divinely inspired and socially determined” as he recontextualizes the prophet’s leadership role for the 21st century. Prophetic preaching, he writes, “is a ministry led by divine revelation and in response to specific social circumstances that often speak in opposition to the dominant culture.” Augustine calls out pastors who “shy away from” this mode of preaching, wondering why so many are hesitant to let social issues show up in their sermons or influence their leadership agenda.

Augustine’s work is not an indictment of the church or of preachers but rather a loving reminder to the church’s leadership that sermons are an expression of biblical prophecy. Preaching can simultaneously contain “both revelations from God and responses to social situations.” Referencing the work of Walter Brueggemann, Marvin A. McMickle, and Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, Augustine recommends that prophetic preaching for our time be concerned with the “kingdom at hand” rather than waiting for the “kingdom to come.”