The Prophetic Path
This is the initial emotion most prophets feel when they witness injustice, oppression, or the misuse of power.
What is Anger (or Righteous Indignation)?
This "eccentric" prophet from the Hebrew Bible is a major focus of the book, moving from anger to one of the clearest expressions of grace.
Who is Ezekiel?
This Civil Rights leader is quoted by Rohr to illustrate how the word of God is "like fire shut up in my bones."
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
Rohr claims this "eats religion for lunch," meaning our cultural surroundings often dictate our beliefs more than our Sunday pews.
What is Culture?
Rohr argues that God's message and messengers almost always tend to be these—people who exist outside "the way everybody thinks."
What are Outliers (or outsiders)?
Rohr argues that if a prophet stays stuck in anger, they become a mere "zealot." They must move into this stage to truly represent the "Tears of Things."
What is Grief (or Lamentation)?
This prophet is famous for a "tempered prophecy" that Rohr says is "mixed with a joy that heals all scars."
Who is Isaiah?
This Civil Rights leader is quoted by Rohr to illustrate how the word of God is "like fire shut up in my bones."
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
Rohr states that "Divine perfection is precisely the ability to" do this—instead of eliminating or punishing mistakes.
What is "Include Imperfection" (or "Include the Mistake")?
According to Rohr, this smaller group of people is what carries the love and hope of restoration after trials and tribulations.
What is the Remnant?
This final stage of the prophetic path allows a person to act from a place of "unitive consciousness" rather than simple opposition.
What is Grace-filled Love?
To demonstrate how Israel would be "shattered," this prophet performed a symbolic act by breaking a pottery jug in front of religious leaders.
Who is Jeremiah?
Rohr mentions that his own message is deeply influenced by his life in this religious order, which emphasizes a vow of poverty.
What is the Franciscan Order?
This concept, central to Rohr’s work, suggests that you don’t have to wait for the afterlife; it is a "unitive consciousness in this world."
What is Salvation?
To find the "medicine" we need for our shared wounds, Rohr says we must pay attention to "who is" doing this in our dominant culture.
What is "Missing" (or "Who is missing?")?
Rohr uses this two-word term to describe a distinct approach to confronting malevolence by disrupting the status quo to allow a new, merciful order to emerge.
What is Holy Disorder?
Rohr pairs this ancient prophet of justice with the contemporary activist Dorothy Day.
Who is Amos?
Rohr references this Black liberation theologian when discussing how salvation is found in solidarity with "the crucified people in our midst."
Who is James Cone?
Rohr warns that this "flourishes best when it is denied" and relies on being considered "rational, necessary, and expedient."
What is Evil?
Rohr defines a prophet as an "officially licensed critic" who does this for their own group.
What is "Exposing the shadow side"?
According to Rohr, prophets are not "fortune-tellers" looking into the future, but rather people who do this for their own group or culture.
What is Truth-telling (or unmasking the shadow/collective evil)?
Rohr discusses "Three" versions of this specific prophet, representing different time periods and a deepening heart of prophecy.
Who is Isaiah (First, Second, and Third Isaiah)?
Rohr quotes this Jewish Rabbi and scholar of the prophets to explain that "the soul must weep to be a soul at all."
Who is Abraham Joshua Heschel?
Rohr suggests that to find true freedom, we must "go into" this metaphorical place of exile and give up control.
What is Babylon?
This two-word term refers to a mature response to injustice that examines oneself instead of blaming others.
What is Non-scapegoating?