Defensive versus Prophetic

There is of course a big difference between being defensive and being prophetic. Being prophetic alerts people to prevalent injustices that bring much harm to the well-being of both individuals and society in general. Case in point - gambling. It is right and proper that Jesus-followers point to the long-term problems being created through the proliferation of poker machines and on-line betting, many people becoming hopelessly addicted and impoverished while operators make bundles of money. The gradual insinuation of the odds for and against anything (including the veritable fly going up a wall) into our everyday viewing and reading and listening is tending toward normalising gambling behaviour into the future. The ones pushing this upon us are principalities and powers to be prophetically and practically reckoned with.

Defensiveness on the other hand demands that we are right and we have no need to listen. Our agenda should be your agenda, the defensive voice says. This, as I have suggested in previous posts, tends toward destroying mission. The prophetic attitude, is the one to seek, where first we listen to the agonised and voiceless cries of the hurting and marginalised, and then take whatever action we can to alleviate the pain and take down the oppressor.