What is a prophet?

Today I will share some insights from the introduction of Richard Rohr's book 'The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for An Age of Outrage.'

My underlined parts...

• p. xiii - "When we picture a prophet of the Old Testament - and there are many of them, more than thirty, including seven women - most of us image an angry, wild-haired person ranting and raving at the people of Israel for their many sins or predicting future doom. Some of the prophets did just that, but my hears of study, conversation, and contemplation have shown me that this prevailing image is not the truest or most important reality of their work, calling, or messages."

• p. xiv - "There was a deep need, then and now, for someone would would call the people to return to God and to justice. Someone who would warn them, critique them, and reveal God's heart to them. We call them prophets, and every religion needs them."

• p. xviii - "The prophets know that religion is the best and that religion also risks being the worst."

• p. xix - "Throughout Scripture, the prophets seem to emphasize one sin above all the rest: idolatry, our habit of making things 'God' that are not absolute, infinite, or objectively good."

• p. xxi - "They call out the collective, not just the individual, as a way of seeking the common good and assuring us that some common good might just be possible. It is a lesson we still find hard to learn." (preceding paragraph is really good too, but long). 

• p. xxv - "The slow metamorphosis of our notions of God -- from lion to lamb, from anger to tears, from lonely solitude to grateful community -- is quietly taking place."

• p. xxv - "Basically, this is the number one lesson: We can learn to love others by closely observing how God loves us and all of creation."

• p. xxvi - "The prophets started out the same way, but they changed and grew up. That is the theme of themes in this small book."

• p. xxvi - "In a Trinitarian worldview, all reality is relationship at its core."