Jeremiah was unruly; he was always in trouble or making trouble. His relatives tried to kill him (Jeremiah 11). Other prophets accused him of false prophecy (ch. 28). A coalition of prophets and priests called for his execution. He was rescued only because of the intervention of a nobleman named Ahikam (ch. 26). He advised surrender to the Babylonians. During the reign of King Zechariah he was falsely charged with treason and desertion and thrown into a cistern with a mucky bottom where he would have died except for the intervention of an Ethiopian (ch. 38). To cap it all off, Jeremiah had serious disagreements with God. He tried to quit his prophetic work (ch. 20). On occasion God scolded him (ch. 12).

Jeremiah was not the only "unruly" prophet. Jonah had to be shanghaied by God before he carried out his mission to Nineveh. Amos preached withering messages against the greed and cruelty of the ruling class. Nathan delivered a divine verdict against King David. Daniel pronounced God's judgment on Belshazzar and the nation of Babylon.

Unruliness is not proof someone is a prophet. Being obnoxious or pugnacious is not proof of saintliness or wisdom. But we can hardly expect someone to fill the prophetic calling without rocking the boat.

In this issue we remember Raymond Forrest Cottrell. My personal acquaintance with him was meager, but as I have listened to those who knew him well, I have been struck by his prophetic function. Cottrell was thoroughly committed to this community. In his local church he was active in humanitarian labor. He taught a Sabbath School class. He led effective evangelistic programs at La Sierra University and at Pacific Union College. But in his scholarship, Cottrell was also characterized by the unruliness of a prophet.

When he became convinced that our traditional interpretation of Daniel 8 could not be supported by sound methods of exegesis, he worked to change our interpretation. When he found logical and theological holes in our official stance on the origin of life he had to speak up. When he saw women treated unjustly in the name of a flawed doctrine of ordination, he was not silent. He did what prophets do: He challenged the status quo. He rocked the boat.

Are prophets always right? No. In the days of Jeremiah prophets said all kinds of things. They contradicted each other. Only the passage of time revealed which declarations were actually congruent with truth. In the early church all kinds of books circulated claiming to give "the truth" about Jesus. Only the passing of time has led to nearly universal agreement on the canonical books included in our New Testament. Prophets are not infallible, and one of their jobs is to remind the church that it is not infallible either. The church tests prophets over time. But it is the visions of the prophets that move the church forward.

The articles in this issue on sexual misconduct by clergy are another form of prophetic utterance. The authors raise issues that I would rather not discuss. None of us who are clergy want to admit the terrible truth that some of us are predators. But these voices will not allow us to continue to pretend that all is well.

Not every accusation of abuse is valid. Not every scholarly protest against our historic interpretations of Scripture is valid. It would not be a good idea to turn control of the church over to prophets. Their stridency and absolute self-assurance would be destructive in positions of significant political power. But if we silence our prophets, or drive them into exile, we will gravely impoverish our community. We will have stifled the present voice of the Spirit. We will have crippled our future.

"Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages. Put all things to the test: keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thess 5:19-21 TEV.