'The subjects knew one another and participated, often shoulder-to-shoulder, in events like the great southern civil rights marches and the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations of the 1960s. This scholarly yet accessible primer to the role of faith in the lives of American activists challenges contemporary notions of the role in religion in politics, and argues that empathy is a critical first step in addressing the suffering of others.'- Publishers Weekly

'Raboteau asks-and leaves for the reader to answer-whether last century's prophets for social justice can provide models for future action. This book is essential reading for anyone who is concerned about social justice, or who wants to know what prophetic thought and action can mean in today’s world.

He discusses their theological and ethical positions, and describes the rhetorical and strategic methods these exemplars of modern prophecy used to persuade their fellow citizens to share their commitment to social change.Ī momentous scholarly achievement as well as a moving testimony to the human spirit, American Prophets represents a major contribution to the history of religion in American politics. Raboteau examines the influences that shaped their ideas and the surprising connections that linked them together. Raboteau traces how their paths crossed and their lives intertwined, creating a network of committed activists who significantly changed the attitudes of several generations of Americans about contentious political issues such as war, racism, and poverty. Muste, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fannie Lou Hamer-inspired individuals who succeeded in conveying their vision to the broader public through writing, speaking, demonstrating, and organizing. In this compelling and provocative book, acclaimed religious scholar Albert Raboteau tells the remarkable stories of Abraham Joshua Heschel, A. American Prophets sheds critical new light on the lives and thought of seven major prophetic figures in twentieth-century America whose social activism was motivated by a deeply felt compassion for those suffering injustice.

Albert raboteau