Prophetic Politics

PROPHETIC POLITICS
a number of subsidiary forms, notably the commandment, the parable, the
aphorism, and the prophesy. Out of these, whether strung loosely together as
they are in Koran or carefully edited and arranged as they are in the Bible, the
scripture or sacred book takes shape. (1957: 315)
Even jokes and funny anecdotes can be put to use by the prophetic politician. Our
contemporary culture pays homage to laughter as a part of the human condition,
and the prophetic politician, to be fully in touch with the spirit of the society, cannot
assume the role of an austere and unforgiving, even judgemental, Old Testament
prophet. Profane and mundane stories, like proverbs, have their place in
prophetic narration too. Proverbs are both profane and sacred by nature. By profane
proverbs, I mean those proverbs used within a certain culture that derive from ‘folk
wisdom’ and by sacred proverbs, I mean those that have their origin within a certain
religious discourse – for example, citations from the biblical Book of Proverbs. As Ricoeur
argues, the intention of a proverb ‘intends to throw up a bridge between the
point of view of the faith and the experience of a person outside the faith circle.’
(1995: 59) As metaphors go, this is suitable, because it implies the possibility to
cross the bridge in either direction. Persons of faith can enter the profane world of
politics with a parable, and a secular person can get drawn by the help of a parable
from his experience-based beliefs into the realm of the religious. By telling a suitable
parable on a certain occasion to a particular audience, a prophetic politician is
able to draw people to enter his storyworld. The importance of taking a moral stance
is crucial when particular lived experiences are turned into guidelines for the story
recipients on how to conduct themselves in similar situations in the future. Such narratives
are able to provide moral guidance for overcoming obstacles and achieving
goodness both for oneself as an individual and also for the community one belongs
to. (Ochs-Capps, 2001: 225–226)
PROPHETIC POLITICS AND THE AMERICAN
CIVIC RELIGION
The interlinking of religion and politics is important in the long run. As de Tocqueville
has observed, ‘There is nothing in the world but patriotism or religion that can make
the universality of citizens advance for long toward the same goal.’ (2000: 89) Naturally
the combination of both would be even more effective. Thus prophetic politics
needs to be able to combine the love of God and the love of country narratively
in such a way that loving one means practically the same as loving the other. If one’s
own country can be narratively recreated as the kingdom of God on earth or at least
as something striving to actualize it in this world, the two great motivational factors
work for the same purpose. It is relatively easy to blend different stories of religion,
mythology and history together and concoct a completely new blend of belief. The
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