The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote,

“But poets should exert a double vision; should have eyes to see near things

As comprehensively as if afar they took their point of sight,

And distant things as intimately deep as if they touched them.”

Like the poet, the prophet sees: the injustice inherent in the dominant culture, its effects on those who suffer under it, and the vision to “nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us” (Brueggeman). Characteristic of prophetic leadership is the passion for possibility: a hope born of compassion that enables the realization of our deepest selves to become free and full participants in the world. In this course, students will explore the tasks of prophetic leadership by reading about the words and actions of selected prophets and reflect on their call to practice it in their ministry settings.