Religion of the Prophets (1952, Fellowship Church, San Francisco, CA)

Thurman begins with Amos in this sermon series on the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The theme of responsibility rings throughout this sermon. Through Amos, Thurman suggests that if all nations are under the judgment of God, then Israel is uniquely under the judgment of God, simply because they have been made aware of God. Knowledge and opportunity is equated to responsibility. In the light of such knowledge, we should not think of ourselves as favored and thus better, but rather we should take…

In this second sermon on the prophets, Thurman talks about God's unwavering faithfulness to human beings even in the midst of hardship. Through Hosea's writings, Thurman illustrates the ways in which crisis tempts us into abandoning our faith in God, the true source of our security. Thurman suggests that God's punishment and redemption is carried out through the logic of cause and effect. The world is not full of war because God is evil, but because our social processes lead to war.…

In the third sermon on the prophets, Thurman explores the visions of Isaiah. Thurman describes Isaiah's first vision as encompassing "the total meaning of human existence." It is an experience of both illumination and vocation. The vision says something about the world and what he must do in it. The second vision is a utopian vision, seeing into a time when the world will be whole. Thurman describes this as a time without fear. In our current world, human creativity is the source of our fear.…

God acts in the process of history. This is the primary theme in Thurman's fourth sermon on prophets. Returning to Isaiah, Thurman says that history is more than the logic of cause and effect. History is more dynamic than this. Every event is an overflowing unseen with potential. When we limit ourselves to the surface-value of events, we undermine our own hope and security. In Isaiah, Thurman sees the prophet relating to God rather than the events of the world. Even in misfortune, God is in…

In this fifth sermon on the prophets, Thurman finds Deutero-Isaiah wrestling with what it means to be in relationship with God. The prophet is troubled by the notion that Jews are supposed to be in automatic relationship with Jehovah, and yet they do not act like it. Thus the prophet concludes that it is not tribe or lineage that makes one a Jew, but rather moral and spiritual character. Anyone can thus "become a Jew" as the prophet says. Those who have had this experience of God play the part…

In this sixth sermon on the prophets, Thurman turns to Jeremiah and the topic of mysticism. Some see mysticism as retreat from the world, whereas ethics and morality seeks to make a way in the traffic of life. Thurman rejects this binary. The life of ethics has to be supported by something. Thurman suggests that outer battles are not won in the events, but deep in the transformations of human spirit. Our ethical struggles and moral difficulties will overwhelm us if we do not find a way to keep…

In this seventh sermon on the prophets, Thurman highlights two points found in the prophet Jeremiah. Firstly, Jeremiah presents us with the problem of history and responsibility. Often we think our actions as our own, set into motion by our own agency, but in truth we act as a result of processes unfathomable to us. What then is the place of responsibility when it seems we have no control? Thurman does not answer this question, but simply ponders. Secondly, Thurman says that Jeremiah…

In this eighth sermon on the prophets, Thurman gives a thorough exploration of Ezekiel. First, Thurman returns to the topic of responsibility through the lens of holiness. In Ezekiel, though environment affects our choices, we each must reckon with ourselves and our own actions. The action is ultimate in determining our holiness, and our good acts might save us from the weight of our bad acts. Thurman also suggests that we might bear responsibility, not through some profession, but simply as…

"To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with that God." In this ninth sermon on the prophets, Thurman explores the notions of justice, mercy, and humility as they are recounted in Micah. We often think of justice as a balance sheet, the "eye for an eye" logic. But Thurman invokes Jesus who teaches that mercy is more important than justice. Mercy and kindness is an act that cannot be paid back, and in fact continues to multiply itself in the recipient. This, Thurman says, is what it…

In this concluding sermon on the Religion of the Prophets, Thurman highlights some key themes in the prophets. For Thurman, the genius of the prophets were founded upon the idea of the sovereignty of God. God is both fact and act, working in the unfolding of history. God has been expressed through creation, through Abraham's faith, through Moses' exodus, and ultimately through the redemption of the universe. The prophets called their people again and again to be in covenantal relationship with…