Amos and Carter

Last week, “Amos, what do you see?” “A plumb line.” This morning, “What do you see, Amos?” “A basket of summer fruit.” From the Old Testament this summer we are reading the graphic prophecy of Amos. One of the four so-called “eighth century prophets of doom,” with Hosea, Isaiah and Micah, Amos is a southerner, a Judean who has gone north to prophesy against Israel, the northern kingdom. Like his brethren in prophesy he is a bother, a nuisance, a pest, unwelcome, and the authorities have ordered him to return to his own country.

Ordered him to return to his own country? Sounds vaguely familiar, eh? Current events from nearly three thousand years ago?

After David and Solomon the united kingdom split back into the natural and historic tribal identities of Israel and Judah. It is a terrible time for both nations in the eyes of God. The ruling classes and the wealthy are despotically oppressing the common people. And people have fallen away from worshiping The Lord. On both counts, God is furious with his people and here through Amos, is warning them that their end is at hand. God will become their enemy and bring them down. The prophetic images in Amos are raw: today’s basket of summer fruit signals that the good times are over, the end has come, this is it: the winter of desolating ruin is at hand.

Indeed, what comes first upon Israel and then upon Judah are not unlike what, a generation ago, we feared as deadly nuclear winter.

Except perhaps for the enjoyment of holy history and reading the Word of the Lord, it would seem that there is nothing particularly special today about the prophecy of Amos and the others. But anyone who thinks so might want to look around at what is slowly happening in America. Gradually, imperceptibly, over recent generations, fully under both Democrats and Republicans since the time of the New Deal that brought us through and out of the Great Depression, so slowly that we can’t even see it, our constitutional government, has turned us over to the tyranny of despotic administrators. Hailing Edward Snowden as useful to wake us up, even former President and Commander in Chief Jimmy Carter says America is no longer a democracy. Another, for anyone who might be inclined to read his blog, is Jonathan Turley. Anyone who wonders whether Turley is a perfectly balanced center-field American need only read his blog about changing Wrigley Field; where were you, Jonathan, when General Convention revised the Book of Common Prayer? Maybe these are latter day prophets, eh? Maybe Americans ought to be listening. Who knows, maybe even God is angry.

Maybe Amos is still right. Or, right again.

Regardless, as of yore, the latter day prophets will shriek in vain until it's well past too late. It may already be.

TW+