“Everything rises and falls with leadership”
– John Maxwell
I don’t agree with everything leadership expert John Maxwell espouses, but his statement concerning the nature of leadership is spot-on. Leadership is one of the key components to rebuilding a Christian civilization. This in no way diminishes the place of the saints of God, grassroots activism, or the energy of the individual believer. The key in my analysis is that leadership, whether it be pastors or civic leaders, is the catalyst which will bring theory into reality. But therein lies the challenge. It is difficult to find leaders in either category which have the basic foundational understandings of biblical worldview and comprehensive Christianity. Hence, the regular frustration we feel when it comes to candidate selection and election. We (evangelical, conservative, Christians) accept the every election cycle testimony of numerous candidates who promise to be attentive and concerned about our values, but then find ourselves with elector’s remorse as those same candidates forget us and our priorities when they occupy the office. It’s analogous to the girl who gives herself away to the boy in the back seat of the car on the promise that he loves her and will make her his bride, only to find out later she was simply used for his own selfish purposes. Conservative Christians have been “used” by the political right for almost a generation now. It is time we woke up to the fact that no one is really taking us seriously.
Perhaps the best illustration I can offer is one that took place before my very eyes here in South Carolina. As many readers may recall, a few years ago our Governor, Mark Sanford, was embroiled in a moral controversy. While supposedly hiking along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, he was actually out of the country visiting his mistress in Argentina. The scandal didn’t bring his governorship down, however it did undermine his conservative, family-friendly image. Please know at this point, my purpose in telling what happened next is in no way meant to throw more “stones” at the governor. This incident has long passed, but the dynamics of what unfolded are critical in understanding this point. Several years after his tenure ended, he decided to re-enter the political scene by running for the U.S. House of Representative Seat in District 1. That happened to be the same district I lived in. During his period of “contrition” as governor we were consistently preached to from Mr. Sanford on the lessons of David and other “flawed” civic leaders in Scripture to understand the journey he was on. It was difficult to receive as he would lecture the state on the Scriptures but refused to break off his relationship with his mistress. It was the most remarkable demonstration of spiritual compartmentalization I had ever witnessed. It was also incredibly embarrassing for the state and the church. So when his announcement came forth of his intention to run for the district 1 seat, there were numerous constituents who were less than enamored with that possibility.
As expected, the republican primary was packed and when the election was completed it resulted in a run-off election. The ex-Governor and a local attorney of notable character and (to our delight) a devoted, biblical worldview Christian were head to head in a run-off. Pastors began to mobilize their influence and people to support this wonderful attorney. In a remarkable display of engagement over 70 pastors in the district allowed their name to be placed in a full page newspaper advertisement endorsing the attorney. While all this was taking place, I was contacted by the Governor for an appointment in order for me to consider his candidacy. The morning we met he was embroiled in a media controversy with his ex-wife concerning why he was on her property unannounced and uninvited. Mr. Sanford was obviously disheveled and shirt wrinkled as he walked into my office looking as if he had only a few hours sleep. My recollection is that we talked candidly and directly. In fact, I was able to share with him that his ability to advocate for our values and priorities were greatly undermined by his scandal. (I also knew at the time that he was still very much involved with his mistress but decided to avoid that confrontation as it felt like “piling on” at the moment with his life seemingly spiraling out of control.) His response was fascinating. He said (paraphrased), “I know that I cannot lead on your concerns, however, SHOULD ANY LEGISLATION arrive on my desk you can be confident I would sign it.” It was at this point I said, “Governor, what you don’t understand is that we are looking for LEADERS for our concerns, not just legislators.” The meeting then concluded. Remarkably, Mr. Sanford won the primary and the general election, despite over 70 pastors working passionately to elect the biblical worldview attorney in a district whose primary city, Charleston, is nicknamed, “The Holy City”.
Why do I tell you this illustration? For several reasons…
1. Scores of pastors had little influence to the outcome of that election.
2. Untold numbers of evangelical Christians ignored a biblical worldview candidate and chose the compartmentalized, unrepentant, “Christian” who was still involved in practicing his sin.
3. Leadership on the foundational issues of a nation and its moral character were completely ignored.
4. The Church at-large has now entrenched an incumbent into an office that will never take the point, nor could he, on the priorities we hold important.
“Everything rises and falls on leadership”.
In order to change this reality the church must find, support and empower leaders (both clergy and civic) who will articulate and implement biblical worldview. I understand quite clearly that those types of leaders are not always in abundance which is why we must also train, equip, and raise up these leaders for future generations to tap for important positions within the culture. At this point, the question is no longer, “Do we find those leaders or create those leaders?”; but rather the definitive statement is, “We must do both”. The longer we delay this rebuilding block, the longer our wilderness wandering and Babylonian exile is going to be.
The sad reality is that most clergy and political candidates have been trained in a Babylonian system of education. The Bible is treated as a book primarily of encouragement and inspiration rather than a blueprint and owner’s manual for every arena of life. It has become a springboard for self-help, rather than a template for God’s design. That is why The Bonhoeffer Institute was created. It is an attempt at providing the resources and training necessary for Christian leaders to effectively advocate and advance a biblical worldview. If the pastors and civic leaders can be inspired and trained again to see their calling to the culture and reformation, then the ripple effect of that reality will begin to turn the Body of Christ into an engaging force. Every army needs officers, as well as enlisted, to win battles. Without leadership who can articulate and strategize the war that is ahead with a proven battle plan (Scripture), we will continue to find ourselves defending our values rather than advancing our values.
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