‘Will Not Those Who Have Ears, Hear?’: An Ethics of Care in Response to the Movement of the Holy Spirit

Abstract

This article analyzes the implications of the Weberian concept of a prophet through a theological lens. The analysis extends to the influence of the Holy Spirit on the Christian experience, offering insight into the fruits of the Spirit as the core of Christian ethics. With the Holy Spirit as the ‘ultimate prophet,’ and the fruits of the Spirit as the fuel for virtuous Christian behavior, the Weberian prophet is described in the form of one highly driven and authentic person, a pastor of a church located in a rural village of southern Ohio. This individual, seeking to actualize the will of God in their social context, exemplifies Max Weber’s idea of a charismatic leader, a sort of ethical prophet in contemporary culture. In offering an ethnographic account of transcendent communication and prophetic influence within the life of the church, I also considered how the Holy Spirit serves as an actor in His own right, motivating spiritual growth, emotional maturity, and prophetic dialogue among the body of believers.