The Prophets of Society

Musicians and songwriters have often been referred to as the prophets of society down through the centuries. Why? Because these kinds of artists have a keen eye for the things that are happening around them, and usually an innate ability to turn it into lyrics that resonate with the masses in some way. Modern musical examples of prophets range from Woody Guthrie, to John Lennon, and Bob Dylan. Some would say Bono, but I think he gets way too much credit, no offense. They all had a way of not only speaking cultural truth in song, but also saying what others really didn't want to say, or didn't have the courage to say. In this way they could be compared to the actual prophets of the Old Testament. People like Isaiah, Ezekial, Daniel, etc. They knew their own history, and could see where their people were about to repeat mistakes, and often they were rejected by the people, and exiled to a lonely life. I think we are missing the prophets of today in todays music. I can't think of one example among the new crop of artists that are even remotely related to John Lennon in terms of being big thinkers. Even in the Christian music industry where the prophetic should be welcome, I don't see a Bob Dylan. So, am I blind? Am I missing something? Or are we just not producing that kind of artist anymore?

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