Assignment | Lesson Two | Prophets: Justice & Hope
March 9, 2026 9:54 PM
Step One:
Write a reflection at least 200 words in length answering: What does it mean to speak God’s truth with courage, compassion, and hope today? You might also want to answer the following questions: What arguments/ideas were persuasive to you? What did you learn? What was missing? With what did you disagree and why? What questions are left for you about the church and its mission and leadership development in the community?
This reflection is due on Friday, April 17.
Step Two:
Respond to the contributions of at least two other class members. Your responses to others may include acknowledgment of helpful insights gained by a fellow student’s entry, further questions raised by another’s comments, or a respectful critique of another’s argument.
This response is due on Sunday, April 19.
Discussion (21)
The message of the prophets in biblical times, and their role as truth-tellers who named injustice, warned of accountability, and offered hope for restoration, still feels relevant today. The scripture readings trace Israel’s turbulent journey from liberation out of Egypt, to settlement in Canaan, to exile in Babylon, and ultimately to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Throughout this history, the prophets spoke up when the people lost their way and broke their covenant with God. They were honest about the consequences of unfaithfulness but also spoke of hope. Even in moments when the people believed they had been abandoned by God; the possibility of restoration remained.
So, what does it mean to speak God’s truth with courage, compassion, and hope today? It means having the courage to speak honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means holding compassion not only for those who suffer injustice, but also for those who cause harm. It means recognizing that they, too, are human and children of God. And it means holding onto hope that restoration is possible.
We can see these tensions reflected in today’s world in places like Palestine, Ukraine, and immigrants in the United States. The reading by Robert Allen Warrior challenges us to resist viewing conflict from only one perspective. It pushes us to ask difficult questions about power, justice, and identity, and to recognize that every story has more than one side. At what point do the “righteous” fighting against the terrorist then become the terrorist?
It’s often easier to point out those injustices. The more difficult are the conversations closer to home—the political and religious divisions within our own communities and even our families. Those tense, uncomfortable moments, especially with people we love, raise a real challenge. How do we stand firm in what we believe while still showing compassion to those who see things differently? And perhaps even more difficult, how do we hold onto hope for healing in such a divided time?
I find myself relating to the story of Jonah. Just this week, I experienced a situation where a student directed an unacceptable outburst toward me. My immediate reaction was to want consequences. And I still believe accountability matters. But I was also reminded to pause and consider what might be behind that behavior. I don’t know what life struggles that student may be going through. That tension between justice and compassion is real.
Scriptures speaks to us in different ways at different points in our lives. It invites us to remain humble and to speak truth in ways that reflect mercy.
Thank you, Sandy, for the reflection. I think you said this well. I was struck by your sentence, "It means holding compassion not only for those who suffer injustice, but also for those who cause harm." Today, when the harm that some people are causing seems so large, how do we hold them in compassion while at the same time call for accountability and change in order to stop the harm? I don't have a good answer for that, but it seems like that's one of the big challenges we have in ministry. When the harm happens on a personal, relational level, and we know the person causing the harm, we can more easily show compassion for that person (as you said, we "don't know what life struggles" someone is going through), while still helping them move beyond causing harm. But what do we do when the harm is on a global, societal or communal level, and the person is far from us and any possible relationship, like some of our. political leaders? These are the people the prophets often called to task. What does that look like today?
Thank you, Sandy. I felt drawn to Jonah as well. I felt that his story of resisting and hesitancy is relatable to times today. I like that you used it as a pause in your own recent life and experience. It's a good reminder for us all. Your insight on how scriptures speak to us in different ways in different times is another important reminder as I make my way through these texts. Some are easier for me to relate to than others but in another time or season that would change.
“What does it mean to speak God’s truth with courage, compassion and hope today?” After reviewing this week’s readings, it seems the first answer might be that rather than proclaiming in declarative sentences, speaking God’s truth looks more like asking questions and listening well. I deeply appreciated the essay by Robert Allen Warrior and the alternative perspective it offers on the “conquest narratives” of the Old Testament scriptures. But it’s also clear that the various writings in the OT do not speak with one voice on that issue.
It was fascinating to me that the seemingly dry, “objective history” of Judges 1 offered so much counter-evidence to the tales of total conquest, with its listing of the many places where the Hebrew people did not drive the indigenous inhabitants out and instead lived side by side with the Canaanites and other groups. That “objective” anti-propaganda also peeped through in 2 Kings 25, when the story was lamenting the destruction of all the fancy bronze (the empire’s loss), but also noting the suffering of the people from the famine caused by the siege.
As we moved deeper into the prophets’ writings, it became clear that God does not see the covenant as a genetic guarantee, but rather an agreement for those who will do what is required of God’s people. The injustices named in Amos 5 and Micah 6, primarily about defrauding and oppressing the poor were named as hypocrisy and sin deserving of punishment.
The conflict between Jeremiah and Shemaiah shows the risks of being the prophet who shares God’s word even when it is disheartening and unpopular (Jeremiah) as opposed to claiming to be a prophet while saying only what people want to hear. All of these prophets making clear that God’s covenant is built on justice (easy), rather than simply chosenness (easy) are taking risks.
I found further signs of hope in Isaiah 56 and Jonah where the lesson that the covenant is not about tribalism (genetic guarantees) but about justice and righteousness was repeated. Isaiah 56 is a beautiful testimony to the inclusiveness of God’s covenant and mercy. Jonah has always read like a comic book to me, but the irritation he displays with God’s mercy being shared with his enemies is, in fact, remarkably familiar to most of us. But isn’t a blessing that God’s mercy is available to anyone humbly asking for it?
At the end of his essay, Robert Allen Warrior asks if if Native Americans and others “dare trust the same god [as the god in the OT conquest narratives] in their struggle for justice”. He notes that it will only work if those in dominant positions in church and society can approach the struggle for justice “without making their story the whole story.” We must continue to ask questions and listen well. But he also writes of places of injustice, pain and anger, noting “Nablus, Gaza, and Soweto of 1989.” The fact that we can look back and see how justice arrived in Soweto brings me hope for Nablus and Gaza. The fact that the text we turn to for guidance speaks with as many different voices as it does shows us how to avoid making our story the whole story, reminding us to continue seeking out multiple perspectives and listening to them well.
Thanks for the insights, Rebecca; I enjoyed reading them. I was thinking about your statement at the end: "The fact that we can look back and see how justice arrived in Soweto brings me hope for Nablus and Gaza." It seems like one of Warrior's points was that it is the people who suffer from colonization that need to lead the work and to share their perspective more than is presently happening. I think that is part of the "blueprint" for what happened in Soweto and what needs to happen today. You bring that point out when you write that, "We must continue to ask questions and listen well."
Thank you for your reflection, especially for noting that God’s covenant with the Israelites was not just about being chosen, but about being obedient to his requirements. That it’s not about genetics but about justice and righteousness, lest some think that being of the right tribe guarantees this covenantal relationship. I too, love the way that Jonah’s writing shows us that even before Christ came to die for all, God’s mercy and justice was extended to anyone, even unto the enemies of his covenanted people. Because he didn’t want to speak God’s words to the cruel and oppressive Ninevites, Jonah seemed to have an “us” and “them” attitude. As in, God’s mercy was only for the Jews, those with whom he had a covenant. In fact, it pissed Jonah off to realize that God wanted to show mercy to those cruel Assyrians.
When I think of us today, how two groups who both call themselves Christians can seem to have the same “us and them” attitude. Me saying, ‘I don’t see how they can call themselves Christian and at the same time staying silent, or even condoning injustice and oppression of others. But I believe and thank God that I do, that it’s not us and them, it is “us” and “Him” because his mercy is extended to any who would repent and call on his name.
"Asking questions and listening well" I so agree with that statement. There are always many perspectives, and the more we can engage with others, the more we can find the areas of commonality and difference, understanding where they come from, and how we achieve common goals together. I also very much connected with your assessment that we are not called to "genetic tribalism" but that anyone who wishes to choose justice and righteousness. Thanks for sharing.
I was really struck by Warrior’s writing on the God of Conquest we read about in the Hebrew Scriptures. While I had inklings of this perspective before, I found his insights quite compelling. I have worked with Indigenous communities, and their own insights to me of the Christian culture and church as colonizers has also been compelling, but grounding that in scripture as Warrior does challenges me in a deeper way.
The continuing challenge is to how to bring this perspective into the contemporary church community, especially one that has no lived experience or relationship with a community that has suffered colonization. It has always been my experience that people are most likely to alter their worldview when they have developed a relationship with someone who is outside their typical experience, especially someone who has suffered because of how we currently operate as a society.
I was blessed to be part of a church that had committed itself to a shelter for people without a home. The shelter was in the church’s old school building, so it not only took up space on the property, it took up space in their time, and the people there took up space in their hearts. That, I think, is one of the core pastoral challenges when it comes to hearing and living out a prophetic call… developing relationships as the base upon which to build that hearing and living.
Hi Dan, I appreciated your insight. I also found Warrior’s writing interesting. Much of the Old Testament scriptures, especially the stories involving conflict, conquest, and God’s punishment, can seem barbaric, even cruel, at times. Since I haven’t spent considerable time studying scripture, it made me wonder about the salvation of those who lived in Old Testament times. Is the salvation offered through Jesus retroactive? I did a little online research, and it seems that many Christians believe it is.
When I think about the perspective of the Native Americans that Warrior describes, I try to connect it to present-day examples of how much perspectives can differ. Two minority groups that come to mind are immigrants and the trans community, both of whom are often demonized by people who claim scripture as justification. How many of those critics have actually taken the time to sit down with either and truly get to know them? Have they listened to their stories or tried to put themselves in their shoes? My guess is that, in most cases, they have not.
Whatever “sins” others may assign to them, who are we to judge? What makes it even more disturbing is when that demonization comes from the pulpits of churches. Not exactly an effective marketing campaign aimed to convert non-believers. What is God’s truth? Where’s the compassion and hope?
Hi Dan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like we had similar responses to reading Warrior's presentation on the Exodus story. How often do we teach or preach about the God of liberation and leave out the end of the story? I'm guilty of this for sure. And I think we've missed so many opportunities to really wrestle with the challenges presented by a God who destroys and takes vengeance - the God of conquest.
I also agree that it's so painful when churches choose to promote the 'conquest' side of God over that of liberation. These same churches could be preaching acceptance and care and compassion - based on scripture! - for the trans and immigrant communities. Yet, somehow the choice is to align the other way. What a sad (and damaging) perspective.
While thinking about this question, “What does it mean to speak God’s truth with courage, compassion, and hope today?” I had to break it down into the context of my own life because that is the experience that I know.
As I get older, the courage part gets easier and easier. I find that it is actually harder not to speak God’s truth than it is to let it pass by. I don’t see it as a form of courage but something that is necessary for me to navigate through my life. I think when I was younger, I was more hesitant to speak up out of fear of being judged. That has changed for me, and I am now more fearful when I don’t speak. There is so much more at risk by staying silent.
The compassion part works itself in as a reminder that I need to always be listening. Compassion works hand in hand with forgiveness, and I have to stop to listen in order for those things to happen.
Hope is tied to faith for me. If I truly believe God’s truth and promise, then my hope should always be strong. I cannot speak God’s truth if I don’t have hope.
A lot of these readings pointed to life having to match worship. If we are not living our lives in the way we are engaging in worship, then it’s not authentic. I have always hesitated about diving into the Hebrew Bible, but reading the assigned parts with this lens has given me a better frame of seeing how it applies to today, especially surrounding justice.
One thing I wonder about in these times is if we are ready to see those who may have changed course to be more aligned with a justice-centered world. I fear that once we know someone to be something, we don’t allow them to change.
Thanks for the way you put that, Erin, about life having to match worship, because it made me wonder about the reverse match. I am definitely an activist, as anyone who knows me, including those in my congregation, knows. But I think that I do more of my "speaking God's truth" outside of worship than I do in worship. I do preach justice and righteousness and I include the suffering of the world very intentionally in our prayer time. But it made me wonder what it would be like to evaluate the very structure of the service, the various parts and how they fit together, who does what and how, through a lens of justice and compassion? I think when we do things like assess our services for accessibility for neurodiverse people, for instance, that could be a way of making worship match the lived call for justice better. I will have to think about that. I'm certainly glad we've moved away from animal sacrifice, because I'll never understand how that honored the Compassionate, Creator God!
Erin, as you wrote about speaking God’s truth, and the courage part becoming easier, it made me realize that the courage to speak is easier for me now than it was 40 years ago. I remember my supervisor’s wife, Betty, passed away suddenly from a ruptured aorta. I attended her memorial service out of respect and love for her and my boss. When it was time for remarks, I struggled but didn’t have the courage to get up and say what I knew God was directing me to say. Out of maybe 300 people, I was the only Black person attending the service. The words given me to speak were so clear that I remember them and the situation to this day. I remember that I was wearing a white dress with red shoes. Had I had the courage, I was supposed to get up and spend a brief moment gazing out over the attendees, and then say this:
“As I look at everyone here, I can see that on the outside I’m different from all of you… I am the only person here wearing red shoes. The thing that I loved about Betty Ford was that she, like God, never looked at a person’s outside, but appreciated you for what you were on the inside. When I grow up, I want to be just like Betty Ford.”
I know those words would have found a place in someone’s heart that day, but because I saw the way some people looked at me when I walked in, I didn’t have the courage to stand up and speak. I’ve learned since then, that if God gives you words to say he will also give you the courage. But you will still need to exercise enough faith to get up out of your seat.
Even as I reflect on the assigned video, scriptures, and article, I find it hard to reconcile in my mind, the God of liberation with the God of conquest. It was at first, difficult for me to understand why God would free the Israelites from their oppression in Egypt only to tell them to go to Canaan and utterly drive its inhabitants out. I agree with Warrior’s case for the Canaanite perspective that the indigenous inhabitants of a land who are forced out but somehow can come back, return to become the oppressed. In the case of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, white Europeans often cited scripture from Judges as justification for driving them out of the places they’d inhabited since forever. They cited scripture, but I don’t believe they were heeding instructions from God’s prophets. But how are you to convince those who hold power, that it’s not God-given? I think they will tell you that, “you are obviously mistaken.” What the scriptures do indicate is that disobedience to God’s truth as relayed by his prophets results in consequences.
I believe that true Prophets will and must deliver to the people (even if they don’t want to, like Jonah), the hard truth of God, knowing that God is just and will reward those who obey his instructions and punish those that don’t. The Canaanites didn’t all of a sudden become a people who worshipped other gods; they’d been doing that for a long time. God’s instruction to the Israelites was to drive them out of the land so that when they themselves possessed the land, they wouldn’t be influenced to turn away from God and instead turn toward the gods of the Canaanites. I’d probably be one of those who’d say, “Come on God, you couldn’t possibly mean for us to get rid of all of them”. I think the reason for this type of harsh directive is that God knows the plans he has for us and they are plans to prosper us. For him to do that requires our complete trust in, and obedience to Him. His truth is given ultimately for his purpose and for his glory.
In today’s world and under this country’s current leadership, we continue to witness the oppression of peoples marginalized by the oppressors: the poor, immigrants, minorities (who in fact, have collectively become the world’s majority). The theme running through the assigned scripture readings is that God has mercy on his people in spite of their disobedience and that the prophet’s task is simply to deliver to the people what he has been given from God. He takes no joy in empty sacrifices and mere lip service, and that he will exact justice in spite of his everlasting mercy. God’s true prophets have to deliver the hard truth that he is the God of Justice. America didn’t all of a sudden start to worship money and power, we’ve been doing that for a long time. We are commanded to love God and all of his creation, but we’ve become accustomed to saying that we love Him and that we believe him and at the same time, doing what we want to do when it is obviously not what God would have us to do.
So, today’s prophet has to believe that they can’t not speak what God has called them to speak. If you try to hold it in, you can become a “Jonah” who in flight, brings trouble unto the innocent. The prophet has to “tell it like it is” and remind the people that even if we feel justified by the scriptures to oppress another group, God has called us in this time to love. That we cannot speak a message of love and hope while our actions show hate and despair for those who don’t look like we want them to look, or don’t act like we want them to act. I am continually amazed by self-proclaimed “Christians” who support messages of hatred and oppression, and “otherness” toward anyone who God has made in his image. I think of them that they can’t really believe that God is who he says he is and continue to be disobedient. The scripture that I’m reminded of for any Christian is this: Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever we sow is what we’ll reap. But what if they believe that they are right or righteous in their actions and believe as strongly as I do of my own faith in action, that I’m operating and acting out of righteousness.
As a Lay Leader in today’s world, I have to believe that I am not wrestling with flesh and blood and that I am courageous enough to live a life of obedience by faith and a love for God and that anyone who sees me will see a God who is merciful in spite of the injustices we ignore, condone, or inflict upon others.
Hi Annie- I must say that right after I posted a response to another classmate, I read your post and noticed a lot of similarities. I also struggle with the way scripture is being abused. I feel like the Christian identity is being tarnished.
I've heard this many times, and happen to agree, that if anyone wants to use scripture to justify any action, they can find it. I think the real issue is when passages are taken out of context while others are ignored altogether.
I certainly don’t claim to be a biblical expert, not even close, and I haven’t memorized a lot of scripture, but I do know that God gave us two central commands. We are to love him and love our neighbor. We can’t do the first without the second and there were no exceptions to the second.
Annie, this wasn't exactly your point, but the way you wrote about the Canaanites started me down a new rabbit trail. I feel like very often, in interfaith conversations today, we tend to lean on the idea that "we all worship the same God," even though that really only refers to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. (Such statements tend to alienate Buddhists or Hindus, and others.) But I'd never really thought about how much that perspective colors my reading of the relationships between the ancient Hebrews and the people of "other faiths" around them. They definitely didn't think they all worshiped the same God, just with different names and practices! I think my assumption that the religious group identity was so enmeshed with the familial/ethnic group identities they were all living has tended to diminish the impact of those religious differences. But I've also read that there was most likely way more intermingling between these groups (not just trying out each other's gods in ways that ticked Yahweh off, but inter-marriage) than the scriptures generally lead us to believe. So how did they navigate those differences? I love the stories I've heard about pre-1948 Palestine, when the Muslims joined their neighbors to celebrate Christmas, and the Christians celebrated Iftars on Ramadan evenings with their neighbors. Was it like that? Does that kind of community-building make God mad? That's very hard for me to believe. We are so removed from that context, so it's hard to know if (like Paul) the ancient Hebrews thought those "other gods" were so imaginary they were harmless, or if they really assumed they were "just different" gods. It's hard to wrap my head around, honestly.
Hi Annie! One point that you made stuck out to me. "I believe that true Prophets will and must deliver to the people (even if they don’t want to, like Jonah), the hard truth of God..." I appreciate the way you put this because it helped me see one of the reasons why I struggle with the Old Testament. It's the harshness. Thinking about many of the messages I hear today from pulpits, I feel that I'm getting a sugar-coated version of what the prophets from the Old Testament were saying. Maybe we need more of that harsh truth.
Wow Annie- I agree with so much with what you wrote here. "They cited scripture, but I don’t believe they were heeding instructions from God’s prophets" describes how I think about the many ways scripture has been used as a weapon against groups of people, from ancient to modern day. Sometimes God puts a message of justice on our hearts, and you can't just "not speak it". Holding it in would seem like a betrayal. Beautiful reflection, thank you.
Speaking truth with courage requires that we face injustice in the world (and even our own church history) head on. One thing that stood out to me repeatedly in this weeks scripture readings was the idea of doing and maintaining justice. Whether in Amos “letting justice roll down like water” or Jeremiah’s promise of freedom without yokes or bonds, God’s desire for humanity seems to be freedom and justice. But the reading by Robert Allen Warrior explains so clearly why these stories of freedom and liberation can fall flat when the Bible has been repeatedly used by Christians over centuries not as a tool for liberation, but as a tool for further subjugation and discrimination. Crusades, the California missions system, slavery, and modern Christian Nationalism seek to use these same stories to justify violence and self-preservation. I understand Warrior’s critique but I do wonder if it’s more of a problem with the scripture itself, or a problem with the church’s use of this scripture over generations as a justification for conquest.
To me, for the church to speak on these issues authentically, we need to be fully engaged with justice movements of all stripes. The church should stand with and alongside marginalized communities, and be supports in the movements for racial, gender, sexuality, disability, and economic equality. I see our denomination doing some of this right with respect to LGBTQ affirmation and inclusion in the church, which can be an inspiring example.
My lingering question becomes this: If history is often written by the victors, how as a church can we reconstruct and elevate the narrative histories of other marginalized communities to perhaps rebuild trust with groups that still need justice and equality?
Hi Max! Oh, I love this last question that you raise. 'The Church' has a long way to go to make repair with so many communities. You lifted up some poignant examples in the crusades, the Mission system, and in modern Christian Nationalism. You also mentioned where some good work is being done in the LGBTQIA+ community and I agree. Another thing we do well (but still has a long way to go) is taking anti-racism seriously through Reconciliation ministries. Leaders have spoken out against the genocide in Gaza, ICE activity in Minneapolis, the war in Iran and the general erosion of democracy in the US. I really appreciate our current leadership speaking out and offering us guidance on how to proceed.
There are so many layers when you think about how many times the church has chosen 'power over' rather than supporting liberation for all. How do we unlearn all the subtle ways that this has been imbedded in our language and culture? How do we make sure that our path forward is toward righting past wrongs and learning to do better in the future?
What does it mean to speak God’s truth with courage, compassion, and hope today? Where to begin? There is so much happening in our current moment that is desperately calling out for realignment according to God’s peace, mercy and justice. Our covenant life has broken down and our protective systems are failing. From the suffering of our planet to the genocide in Gaza, in the vicious attacks against queer and trans beloveds to the persistent racism embedded in Western culture and the suffering of children in violence and hunger everywhere: we are in need prophetic voices.
It feels like there are few among us these days. The journalists that do reveal the truth (in spite of the trend of journalism becoming less independent and more entertainment) are not the same people who offer hope. They are often taking risks to reveal truth and that in itself is hopeful, but they don’t operate in a framework of faith. Too many who ought to be in the business of hope have been co-opted by the Christian Nationalist ideology and the hope they offer does not meet the true needs of the people.
It’s hard to read Biblical accounts of how the Israelites conquered the promised land of the Canaanites today without it calling to mind the current war over land in Israel/Palestine. Over my whole lifetime there’s been a constant struggle to establish who belongs, who has the right to be there, and who is allowed to thrive. I have to agree with Robert Allen Warrior that too often the Canaanites or the Indigenous, or the Palestinians have been ignored because the story is told from the point of view of the ones who conquer and dominate. It’s hard to ignore God’s role in the unfolding of these colonizing events, but I wonder again - how much was God’s actual intention involved, and how much was the story cast from the human perspective and ascribing actions to God that God would not claim for Godself? And still, we’re left with a text that has been and continues to be very harmful.
Judges 1 reminds me of Phylis Trible’s “Texts of Terror” in which she recognizes how terribly women are treated within scripture. Can we point to these texts and also say - this is not how I understand God or this is not how things ought to be? Is there any credibility left for a faith that would ignore this part of the text and gloss over it? We have a lot of work to do as Christians to confront our history and work to overcome the lasting violence it has inspired.