The world is in a bad way. Wars, political polarization, wealth inequity, and environmental crisis threaten the good creation that God tasked his image-bearers to steward. Richard Rohr argues that in an “age of outrage,” the Jewish prophets have something to say.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Rohr identifies a threefold progression in prophetic thought:

My major thesis in this book is that most prophets invariably start with legitimate but righteously dualistic anger at the sins and injustice in the world. As they pursue their calling to teach what they think is God’s truth, they confront confusion, denial, doubt, love, and most especially epiphany. Maturing prophets let these experiences change them, allowing themselves to evolve into non-dual and compassionate truth-tellers. (81)

In The Tears of Things, Rohr explores these three phases in the lives of the Hebrew prophets. Along the way he offers stunning insights, birthed of a life of contemplation. For example:

Please remember that certainty—not doubt—is the opposite of faith. (154)

In a Western church that reduces faith to belief, Rohr’s maxim sounds foolish. But his point is apt. Certainty fuels polarization—us v. them—while humility leads to understanding and compassion, the final stage in the prophet’s journey.

As much as I appreciated the depth and insight of Tears, I can’t help but think that Rohr has projected his own existential journey onto the prophets. The biblical data he recruits for his argument is selective and does not fully account for the context of each prophet. Some situations today call for “dualistic anger at the sins and injustice in the world” (81) even after some metaphysical evolution into a “non-dual and compassionate truth-teller” (81).

The problem of biblical data comes to the forefront in chapter 6, “Unfinished Prophets: Elijah, Jonah, and John the Baptizer” (81–85). For Rohr, these prophets were “unfinished” because their ministry never progressed to his third-stage ideal. He does have a point with Jonah: the text invites us to consider what Jonah would do next. You could even argue that John the Baptist was unfinished. He expected Jesus to bring fiery judgment on the world—a judgment Jesus took upon himself. Elijah is a different story, however. He lived to challenge the idolatries of king who preferred Baal to Yahweh. His life ended with a chariot ride into the heavens, leaving a legacy that the gospel authors used to describe Jesus himself. His prophetic mission sounds “finished” to me.

Rohr creates an evolutionary paradigm about the prophetic experience and judges the Hebrew prophets by that paradigm. I’d rather view the lives of the prophets through the narrative of scripture.

Despite the methodological critique, I’d still recommend The Tears of Things for people seeking to inhabit the world of the prophets. Their wisdom is needed more than ever in today’s world.

Rohr, Richard. The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage. Convergent, 2025.