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Southern Adventist University KnowledgeExchange@Southern Faculty Works School of Business 2013 On Becoming a Prophet Michael E. Cafferky Southern Adventist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/facworks_bus Recommended Citation On becoming a prophet, Faith in Business Quarterly, 15(4), 23-29. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Business at KnowledgeExchange@Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of KnowledgeExchange@Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FAITH IN BUSINESS QUARTERLY JOURNAL VOLUME 15:4 23 On a ro het by Michael E. Cafferky The Occupy movement illustrates that the prophetic role covers a spectrum of issues, none of which can be separated from economics. Who should be the prophets sent to commerce, those outside or those inside? Michael Cafferky suggests there is a place for both but that the most effective (and costly) prophecy comes from within. He concludes with some practical and effective suggestions for change. he month that my wife and I enjoyed Occupy protesters gained notoriety as they set a carefree sabbatical at Ridley Hall up tent cities in the heart of the world's T in Cambridge, the Occupy Wall Street financial districts, some within view of or movement was having a go at being a perhaps earshot of stock exchanges, world prophetic voice in New York City. It was icons of corporate power. In the process, some October, 2011. The major economic centres protesters also managed both to draw of the world staggered from the effects of attention to and - paradoxically - divert the mortgage banking crisis, high attention away from their core messages by unemployment, and the burden of growing engaging in controversial actions such as national debts and the bitter taste of austerity those that took place at the entrance to programmes. The public, the media, national London's historic St. Paul's Cathedral. Church governments, and leaders in commerce were of England officials wrestled with the all seeking something more valuable than the problem of how to manage the presence of collective value shown on the balance sheets the protesters, how to deal with differences of corporations: the truth! of opinion among bishops and priests, and whether or not to force protesters off Church Days before departing from the USA for property. Sympathies for and against the Cambridge, we had heard about Occupy JVall protesters' cause generated a range of Street. After our arrival, we observed the reactions as broad as the portfolio of issues the impact of Occupy protestors when we visited protesters brought to their urban bivouac sites. ~ ~ London, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. But the movement's reach became much broader than this. Hundreds of cities in scores of countries worldwide experienced the wrath of Occupy protesters who, more or less, successfully drew attention to growing public displeasure at the shrinking middle class, the growing economic inequality gap between the top 1% and everyone else, abuses of economic power, personal and organisational greed, ecology, and several other agenda items so numerous they proved difficult to coalesce under a single catchphrase- making it difficult for the movement to get organised in the traditional sense. 24 FAITH IN BUSINESS QUARTERLY JOURNAL VOLUME 15:4 .. ~ Some readers may be taking issue that I have Fundamental to the prophetic voice was the associated the Occupy protesters with the work realisation of God's promise of shalom and of the biblical prophet. For some in commerce the Messiah. Each prophet was empowered the protesters were simply a group of by God's Spirit, depending on the Law, misguided, whining radicals who don't building on the work of former prophets, and understand economics. Getting on to a explicitly or implicitly pointing toward the fashionable bandwagon is not the same as long-awaited Messiah Prophet. The Gospel being a prophet. Whether you want to call writers each acknowledged the connection them prophets or misguided protesters, or between Jesus Christ and the work of the something else, the Occupy movement prophets (Matthew 2:15-17; 13:35; Mark 6:15; illustrates that the prophetic role covers a Luke 7:26; 24:19; John 7:40; Acts 7:37). spectrum of issues none of which can be separated from economics. Some public prophets who have included economic issues in their messages have come As I reflected on the efforts of the protesters, as preachers from organised religion. I began to question: Who should be the prophets Modern-day prophets have also emerged from sent to commerce and how can they most e.ffectively among the ranks of investigative journalists, fulfil this role? Must the voice if truth come .from some controversial, reporting to society outside commerce? Is there a proper place for where they think repentance is needed. Other prophets to arise from inside the world if global prophetic voices come from within labour, business, and if so, how can such a prophet manage organising political response to intolerable this role? While the work of a biblical prophet involved many tasks, a dominant emphasis was on speaking for God by drawing attention to the principles of covenant Law. It is this emphasis that is my focus here. Jesus Christ, who himself assumed the role of prophet, expanded on the broad spiritual principles of the Torah (Matthew 5 - 7). He taught that upon the two Great Commandments, supreme love to God and unselfish love to others, depend all the Law and the prophets (Matthew 22:40). Likewise, he said that the Golden Rule has the same foundation (Matthew 7: 12): the Law because Prophetic voice from China it is the expression of God's will in a social Apple CEO Tim Cook at the iPhone production line in the newly context, the prophets because they called built Foxconn Zhengzhou Technology Park, Henan province, China, after the protests on pay and working conditions for the Law to be written on the hearts of the people (2 Kings 17: 13; Nehemiah 9:26; conditions, periodically rising up in protest. Isaiah 51:7; Jeremiah 31:33; Zechariah 7:12). Workers that make the Apple iPhone at Foxconn's plant in China recently protested, Accordingly, from time to time, as God's Spirit stopping production for several hours. In found necessary, prophets arose from both contrast, and comparatively less often than inside and outside the faith community. Some, the others mentioned here, a business like Moses, did not have a strong sense of executive becomes a public voice calling for their abilities (Exodus 6:30). Jonah tried to change. A few social reformers such as John escape the call to service as God's mouthpiece. Stuart Mill and Robert Owen, who were acti ve Some like Cyrus came from outside the faith market participants, advocated changes they community and served as shepherd to God's believed to be important. Some of these people (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). figures have been controversial. The stronger ., ~ FAITH IN BUSINESS QUARTERLY JQURNAL VOLUME 15:4 25 ~ ~ the hand that is imposed in Other true prophets emerged reform, the higher the risk that from the economic sector. such a hand will be used to Amos, for example, was not a manipulate for economic gain. "professional" prophet. He was Perhaps many other leaders in a shepherd and a fig producer commerce are voices for change (Amos 1:1; 7:I4). But he had within their own organisations, the courage to talk openly voices needed if for no other about economic abuses purpose than to increase prevalent in his time. Before his efficiency or increase preaching ministry began, profitability. In addition, there Jesus served in his community are doubtless others who as a tradesman (Mark 6:3). If believe that there are we say that the early church opportunities for moral reform leaders fulfilled a prophetic at the level of the industry or function (although they were economic system, and if given called apostles) we find that some encouragement, might some came from the world of lift their voices outside their commerce or continued to be own organisations for active participants in the consideration in society marketplace as long as James Tissot, The Prophet Amos possible. Apostles and prophets c. 1888 were closely associated in the The Function and Cost early church (Ephesians 4: I1 ). Peter, James, John and Paul were all market of being a Prophet players. I think this is significant for those eflecting on the work of contemporary Christians engaged in contemporary prophets, I am struck commerce who feel the desire to give a moral R by what contemporary Christian lead to their firms, their industries, and the market players might learn from the economic system as a whole. experience of prophets as recorded in Scripture. Perhaps Scripture provides some Looking at the stories of prophets (and guidance for business leaders who have moral apostles) contained in Bible narratives we find guidance which they wish to be heard. prophets fulfilling four major functions. First, as mouthpieces for God whose Kingdom is Priestly and Kingly offices in Israel were fixed based on truth, the prophets cried aloud and institutions. In contrast, we don't find in did not spare regarding moral lapses (Isaiah Scripture any dynasty of prophets based on 58: I; Ezekiel 2:3-8). Their message was not blood lines. Prophets arose on a contingency merely a general call to improve the ethics of basis as needed, when the priests and the kings failed to serve according to covenant principles and when the truth needed to come out. Some biblical prophets were educators (Samuel, Elisha).