Emphasis Preaching Journal

U.S. Census Bureau statistics revealed that as recently as in 2012, 15% of Americans were in poverty and 14.5% of our households were food-deprived. We clearly need prophets who will condemn these unjust evil trends and point us to new options. John the Baptist was a prophet, and he provides us with a model for acting prophetically today. Martin Luther praised John for directing people away from himself to Christ (Complete Sermons, Vol. I/1, p. 122). He did not want people to imitate him and his lifestyle; he just pointed to Christ (Luther's Works, Vol. 22, p. 66).