Sadly, many of the issues these five prophetic voices confronted in their lifetimes are still with us – racial injustice, economic inequality, political oppression, and the threat of nuclear weapons, to name a few. But our own historic moment also faces issues that were not foremost in the minds of Bonhoeffer, Niebuhr, Thurman, Day, or Heschel. None of these figures were compelled to address injustices around sexual orientation or gender identity. Environmental concerns, now an existential threat, did not loom large for most of these figures, although Thurman did address them on occasion, as in this excerpt from his book In Search of Common Ground:

“Man cannot long separate himself from nature without withering as a cut rose in a vase... It is but a single leap to regard nature as being so completely other than himself that he may exploit it, plunder it and rape it without impunity…Our atmosphere is polluted, our streams are poisoned, our hills are denuded, wildlife is increasingly exterminated while more and more man becomes an alien on the earth and a fouler of his own nest.”

Because Bonhoeffer, Niebuhr, Thurman, Day and Heschel are such well spoken and profound thinkers, our instinct may be to engage contemporary concerns like those above by asking ourselves, “What would Bonhoeffer do?” or “What would Dorothy Day do?”

While that is high praise for these figures, it comes with inherent danger.

Heschel often said that to follow another’s spiritual path was essentially “spiritual plagiarism.” We can draw something from others, admire others, but each must carve out their own path.

1 As you re-examine each of these figures, what is the main takeaway for your own spiritual journey? Who or what has inspired you most? What do you now recognize in your own spiritual journey that you want to address? Make a list of your responses to these questions that you can refer to later.

2. Are there things in the lives and stances of any of these figures that you disagree with? Why? Can you articulate the basis of your disagreement?

You might consider the following: Howard Thurman was criticized for choosing not to be on the front lines of the Civil Rights Marches. He felt his place was to be “the sage” who inspired and encouraged the marchers.

Dorothy Day refused to pay her federal taxes for fear the funds would be used to support immoral military action. She also never voted.

Reinhold Niebuhr, once a self-proclaimed pacifist, was an early advocate for military preparedness against the rising Nazi regime in Germany.

Can you disagree with some of these figures’ thoughts or actions and still find them sources of strength and inspiration for your own spiritual journey?

3. Finally, consider prophetic voices today. Who first comes to mind when you think about such figures? Draw up a list of those you would like to consider. Share that list with people from different faith traditions or different cultural backgrounds to see who is held in common and who is unknown to you.