In this compelling and provocative book, acclaimed Albert Raboteau tells the remarkable stories of Abraham Joshua Heschel, A. J. 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.
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.
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. Raboteau examines the influences that shaped their ideas and the surprising connections that linked them together. 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.
"Written in lucid prose, Raboteau's seven luminous biographical sketches . . . tell a radical story." ― Choice, journal of the American Library Association.
"Offers inspiring and challenging examples of embodied faith in the modern world." ― Library Journal
