QTNA // O Prophets Where Art Thou?

Why do we not hear from modern day prophets? It’s a fair question—especially in a world that feels like it’s constantly teetering between chaos and collapse. As I prepared this message, I found myself wrestling with despair. News cycles are overwhelming, systems seem rigged against the most vulnerable, and it’s easy to wonder if anyone is still speaking for God in the middle of the mess.

But maybe the better question isn’t why don’t they speak? Maybe it’s: Why don’t we listen?

What Is a Prophet, Really?

When we think of Biblical prophets, we might picture strange and dramatic characters: Ezekiel cooking food over cow dung, Daniel having wild visions, or Elisha calling bears down from the woods. But prophecy was never about predicting the future like some kind of biblical fortune teller. Less than 2% of Old Testament prophecy is Messianic, and only 1% concerns events that might still be ahead of us today.

Prophets were messengers—people given a divine perspective to speak truth to their communities, usually calling them back to justice, repentance, and covenant faithfulness. And more often than not, they were ridiculed, rejected, or outright harmed for doing so.

Sound familiar?

Prophets Were—and Still Are—Resistance

The prophets of the Bible were often marginalized voices, crying out against systems of oppression and spiritual complacency. They offered radical hope and imagination for a better world, rooted in God’s justice and love.

That prophetic resistance isn’t limited to the pages of Scripture.

Modern day prophets are still among us.

Examples of Modern Day Prophets

Take Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a pastor and prophet who spoke truth to power. His calls for justice, his challenge to America’s racism, and his vision of a Beloved Community were profoundly prophetic. And like the prophets of old, he was hated for it. A 1967 poll showed that 75% of Americans viewed him unfavorably. We honor him now, but many refused to hear him then.

Other modern day prophets include:

• Fred Hampton: A voice for the people, silenced by assassination.
• Angela Davis: A freedom fighter and truth-teller, demonized and imprisoned.
• Greta Thunberg: A young environmental prophet calling the world to repentance for how we’ve treated the earth—and treated with ridicule and abuse in return.
• Rev. Dr. William Barber: A contemporary justice preacher continuing King’s legacy, speaking against systemic poverty and racism in the U.S.
• Bishop Mariann Budde: A faith leader who dared to challenge political power and advocate for the dignity of the marginalized—and was publicly attacked for it.

And let’s not forget the prophetic voices whose names we don’t know. The words of the prophets, as Simon and Garfunkel once sang, “are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.”

Why Don’t We Hear Them?

Because we silence them. We discredit them, We mock them, and We ignore their calls for justice. We’re often more comfortable with false prophets—those who serve power, not God. The real prophets make us uncomfortable. They call us out. And they call us up.

What Can We Do?

The answer isn’t just to recognize that modern day prophets exist—but to listen to them. To amplify their voices. To align our lives with their vision of God’s justice. And to allow our own hearts to be shaped by prophetic imagination.

Walter Brueggemann writes, “It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination.” Prophets invite us to believe that it doesn’t have to be this way. They ask us to dream of a better world—and then work with God to build it.

The Call to Action

So let’s listen. Let’s dream. Let’s take action.

May we be the people who don’t just wait for prophets to show up—but recognize them when they do.

Modern day prophets are speaking.
Are we listening?

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