Who or What Is a Prophet?

The immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. still echo in our ears: “I have a dream today.” They were a clarion call for what became one of the great movements of the modern world. Of course I’m talking about the social justice movement. The idea that all should be treated, not according to wealth or social class, but according to the content of their character. Of course Dr. king didn’t invent the idea of social justice. A century and a half ago Abraham Lincoln thunderously declared that all people are created equal. But he didn’t invent such ideas either. Nor did the framers of the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. Don’t you suppose it would be helpful to figure out how and when this curious notion of human rights originated?