In Hebrew, the word “navi” translates as "prophet." Literally, it means "spokesperson." In other words it refers to the one who communicates the Divine word to the people. It's intriguing to ask what makes a human being qualified to carry God's message. Truth is, nowadays, we might consider such an individual mentally unbalanced.

Moses Maimonides takes on this subject in his famous work “Guide for the Perplexed.” Maimonides suggests that what qualifies the prophet is a level of intelligence that allows him to see causal relationships (read “inevitable consequences”) where others fail to make a connection.
Amos, himself a prophet, puts it more directly, "A lion has roared, Who can but Fear? My Lord God has spoken, who can [do anything] but prophesy?" (Amos 3:8)
The early rabbis discuss the nature of a prophet. At the beginning of a work called the “Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael” which deals with the legal sections of the book of Exodus, they contrast three prophets, Elijah, Jonah and Jeremiah. Two of the three are not deemed worthy of continuing their prophetic mission, while one is given the opportunity to continue to give voice to the Divine Word.
Elijah's mission comes to an end because he takes the side of the Father (God), but not the side of the children (the Jewish people). Jonah, on the other hand, isn't given further opportunity because he takes the side of the children and not that of the Father. (Jonah's flight to Tarshish is understood as his attempt to avoid prophesying to the people of Nineveh! He knew that these people, who were not Jewish, would repent. This would make the Jewish People look awful because they had been sent numerous prophets and still refused to repent!)
Of the three, only Jeremiah is seen as worthy. He represents both the Father and the children. In many passages he expresses the Divine frustration with the acts of the Jewish people, trying to get them to see how short-sighted their vision of Life really is. Yet at another time he turns to God and says, "We have sinned, but You have not forgiven!"
It is this balance of vision which makes Jeremiah a prophet worthy begin a true spokesman. He balances his love of God with his love of people of Israel.
This, I believe, is the challenge that faces our own Conservative movement. Conservative Judaism, in its conception, tries to mediate the relationship between the "Father and the children." In practical terms, this means that we do take the notion of Halachah seriously. Traditionally, this meant at the very least, a commitment to the observance of the laws of Shabbat and Kashrut; praying in Hebrew; the ongoing study of Torah and support for Eretz Yisrael.
On the other hand, humanistic issues such as equality of status and opportunity for women and, in general, the integration of what we could consider "modern thinking" are aspects where our take on Judaism puts the "children" of primary importance. Examples of this would include a universalistic attitude towards humanity as opposed to a point of view that devalues anything that isn't Jewish. In addition, our attitude towards the Service in the Temple that involves the sacrifice of animals spans a spectrum of opinion: from complete acceptance to outright rejection.
If we're to be true to our own religious philosophy, it is very important not to adopt these positions in direct violation of our sacred texts, but to be knowledgeable enough to be aware of various interpretations and opinions that constitute the development of Halachah.
The acid question: how knowledgeable are we; and how willing are we to face the task of training ourselves and our children in order to do this?
Allow me one concrete example.
In the traditional morning service there are passages which refer to the sacrifices and which culminate with some citations of rabbinic texts. This ends with a brief passage asking God to rebuild the Temple "where we can serve You in awe as in ancient days and in previous years." Our Siddur Sim Shalom replaces this with the passage from the mishnah from Pirke Avot that asks God to make us "like disciples of Aaron, seeking peace and pursuing peace, loving our fellow creatures and bringing them to the Torah."
The substitution isn't just a random choice. Please notice how the connection to the Temple is made on two levels. The first and obvious connection is to Aaron, the High priest who ministered in the Temple.
The second, more subtle, connection has to do with one of the chief functions of Temple worship: to bring reconciliation between God and the Children of Israel. When we act as "disciples of Aaron" we are also "ministering in the Temple!" bringing reconciliation into the world!

It isn't difficult to see how adopting a Conservative Jewish philosophy takes a great deal of work; a love of Torah and a love of our fellow Jews and fellow human beings.

This is a beautiful place to be in this world. To our lives it gives meaning and to our religious tradition.

And it's comforting to know that there were Jews many years ago, who, in a sense felt that such a position embodied the spirit of prophecy; speaking in the name of God.

To quote (the closing words of } Psalm 90 “May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us; let the work of our hands prosper; O prosper the work of our hands!” (Ps 90:17)

Shalom,