ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Dewey’s enigmatic claim that the teacher is a prophet of the true God. Using traditional imagery surrounding the prophetic office and Dewey’s developing philosophy of religion, the chapter exposes what Dewey may have envisioned for the teacher as the prophet of democracy. Dewey’s broader understanding of the function of the religious reveals that his concepts of God and the kingdom of God are intimately intertwined with his human relational understanding of a democratic society. And for Dewey, the best hope for humanity to learn how to live and work toward associated living is in schools where the teachers live up to their high calling as prophets, and schools do their religious work.
