Recovering its prophetic voice

Kenya is in political angst. Public confidence is at an all time low. Political violence is spreading. Youth frustration is growing. Those entrusted with leadership are detached from the daily struggles of ordinary people. In such moments, society inevitably turns to one institution that has historically spoken when other voices fell silent: the Church. Yet a debate has emerged. Some politicians, like Hon Nelson Koech MP, insist that the Church should stay away from politics and focus on prayer. Others, including Hon S.K. Musyoka, opposition leader, urged the church to speak more boldly. The question is not whether the Church should involve itself in partisan politics. It should not. Does the Church have public responsibility beyond worship and prayer? The answer is yes. It does. The Church has a prophetic vocation. That vocation obligates it to speak when justice is threatened, when power is abused, and when human dignity is violated. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the Common Wealth, observed that the fundamental concern of the prophetic tradition is with equality and a critique of the abuse of power. The biblical prophets consistently defended the poor and challenged rulers who oppressed the vulnerable. Prophecy was never merely about predicting the future. It was about telling the truth in the present. This was exemplified with the likes of archbishops David Gitari, Ndigi Mawana Nzeki, bishops John Okulu and Alexander Muge among many Kenyan clerics. Kenya\'s current circumstances demand precisely such a voice. Walter Brueggemann, in The Prophetic Imagination (1978), identifies three central tasks of prophetic ministry. The first is to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion. The second is to grieve in a society that practices denial. The third is to express hope in a society tempted by despair. These are...read more