The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today

by M. Daniel Carroll R.

Outreach 2023 Resource of the Year (Theology and Biblical Studies)

The world cries out for a prophetic word to the chaos, unrest, and destructiveness of our times. Can the biblical prophets speak into our world today?

Old Testament ethicist M. Daniel Carroll R. shows that learning from the prophets can make us better prepared for Christian witness. In this guide to the ethical material of Old Testament prophetic literature, Carroll highlights key ethical concerns of the three prophets most associated with social critique--Amos, Isaiah, and Micah--showing their relevance for those who wish to speak with a prophetic voice today.

The book focuses on the pride that generates injustice and the religious life that legitimates an unacceptable status quo--both of which bring judgment--as well as the ethical importance of the visions of restoration after divine judgment. Each of these components in the biblical text makes its own particular call to readers to respond in an appropriate manner. The book also links biblical teaching with prophetic voices of the modern era.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Old Testament, Biblical Studies

160 pages, Hardcover

Published August 16, 2022

Reviews

[Michael Hinnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent follow-up to reading the prophetic imagination. Carroll utilizes the prophets Isaiah, Micah, & Amos to critique the injustices of the past & present, while also offering hope for the future. Carroll is an excellent OT scholar and gifts the reader with a plethora of sources if they want to go deeper. Will use in my Minor Prophets class.

[Will Deitrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who read Brueggemann’s “The Prophetic Imagination” and was left almost more confused than when I first picked it up, this book was super helpful. The 3rd chapter alone is worth reading the whole book for, and it’s only 120 pages. Solid read!

[Nicholas Meriwether · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, concise exploration into Old Testament prophecy and prophetic ethics. With his usual tact, Carroll R. provides a relevant and thoroughly biblical treatment with plenty of illustrations and a significant bibliography for a work of its size. He are a few of the highlights from the book: 1) The prophets want to give us a prophetic imagination so that we can see things as God sees them. 2) The prophets use general descriptions of unjust people, which makes it easier contextualization across time. 3) There is no justice without judgment, and it's a good thing that Yahweh is the just judge. 4) Prophets call out injustice with unparalleled honesty and often suffer because of it. 5) Ideologies often co-opt religious practice, and ancient Israel and today are no exceptions. 6) The prophet's central concern is the character of God; more often than not, Israel was worshiping not Yahweh as he truly is, but an idolatrous version of Yahweh they had made up to support their ideologies. 7) Eschatology matters! There is a real hope for a future of peace under a just ruler with renewed worship. 8) Jesus is the ultimate prophet who embodied the prophetic calling.

[Ryan Linkous · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book about the prophets I’ve already wanted to read.

Without a doubt, the best and most accessible and most urgent introduction to prophets I’ve ever read. Carroll gets to the heart of things quickly, both in the theological and cultural implications of the biblical prophets in their own time and today. Carroll’s lived experience and participation in the Latin American Christian tradition (he’s part Guatemalan) provide him with a vocabulary and an arsenal of anecdotes and theological thought unknown to English language Bible interpreters to our detriment.

They demand that we harness the prophets for worship and social praxis today informed by and in critical dialogue with social theory.

I’d recommend to anyone who is a competent Bible reader. Carroll’s prose is accessible but the many footnotes may make the work intimidating to people without some familiarity with biblical studies or academic literature. Buts it’s aided by brevity where no word is wasted.

[C.S. Boyll · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few nuggets in this book on the prophetic OT voice for contemporary times, but it is a dense, academic read. A good editor would have been helpful in transforming the book to a better level.

[Douglas Reis · Rating 5 out of 5]

8 -
so good!!!!

[Catherine McNiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always looking for a good book that engages our society with the prophets. I wish this had been a bit more engaging and gone both further and deeper.

[Chelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a very helpful explanation of what the prohpets were saying and how what they said applies to our lives today.