The term prophecy is rooted in the 12th-century French term prophecie, which was derived from the Latin proficio (“advance”) and the Greek prophetia (“what is written or spoken by a prophet”). Prophecy refers to the disclosure of concealed knowledge of the most crucial kind: the will and intentions of a transcendent power, for whom a prophet is authorized to speak. A prophet's message involves an image of community that is of divine origin, and it generally brings the prophet into confrontation with cultural elements that contradict this image. Thus, prophecy generally has political and social ramifications. Prophets traditionally emerge from contexts of social crisis, and their messages promise to transform society through a revitalization of relationships with covert sources of power.

Globalization has posed distinct challenges ...