April 29, 2010
Candidates
You often don’t discover the motives of a political candidate until after they are elected. Some want to build on the civic foundation already laid, while others want to tear down what has been built and go a different direction. Sadly we sometimes see something similar in the church when new leadership takes over and begins to dismantle what others have built – both spiritually and physically. Paul says to the Corinthians, “This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.” (2 Cor 13:10 NIV)
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Gail;
-----The Bible discusses two basic character traits of interrelationship. Its discussion dichotomizes them into hatred at the evil end of the scale and love at the righteous end. Satan and one third of the angels characterize the end of total hatred. God and two thirds of the angels characterize the opposite end of total love. All of mankind, except Jesus Christ, fall on the scale between the two ends, each one at his or her own position. By both observing how individuals interrelate within group situations and studying the Scriptures, we can gain simple and useful insights for discerning beneficial and desirable leadership qualities.
-----In politics, churches, organizations, even on schoolyard playgrounds, we tend to acknowledge leadership according to levels of intelligence, understanding, motivation, ambition, successfulness, and, of course, agenda. Commonly, our politicians are highly educated attorneys, especially at the Federal level. Their ambition, motivation, and understanding are usually demonstrated by successful careers, whether in business or community service. But we who acknowledge their leadership fail to understand that these traits by which we measure are simply tools. And this applies doubly to a leader’s ability to present what of his agenda might be convincing to the people while hiding that of it which might be odious.
-----Although it is important for leaders to have and use these tools, what is imperative is where they individually fall within the love/hate dichotomy. Hatred is not always easily apparent, even in its purest form. It is even less so when in the heart of someone very skilled at using the leadership tools. For hatred is not as much a kind of doing things, like murder, theft, and lying as it is a way of relating. It is recognizing the person beside you as an object while considering yourself as the objective. Therefore the agenda the hateful character takes into any group, be it country, church, organization, or schoolyard is the one which is best fitted to his own biases and most effective at serving ends particularly benefiting himself and using other folks as mere resources.
-----When the agenda is about the process of how to supply benefits for others, the character of the leader needs the most scrutiny. For such process is about interrelationships, and interrelationships are about individuals. To necessitate a certain process is to necessitate the way individuals interact. To do that is to own them, which means they are mere objects now belonging to the benevolent leader. And that is hatred. The fact that benefits for others are involved takes our eye off the real ball - the leader’s perceived ownership rights to the people. And that is why the coming evil one would deceive even the saints, if it were possible.
-----But the saints won’t be deceived, because they keep their eye on the love that is the Lord. Love sees the self as an object, and those around it as the objective. When love involves a process it always looks to who and what are the people involved in it, to what they themselves consider to be needs, and to how they figure those needs will be met. Love formulates its agenda according to the people around it while laying its own biases aside. Love is ambitious to please its neighbor, motivated to do good to all men, and understands agreement with one another. It refuses to demand its own way by seeking agreement from others for its own success. Now, go choose your leaders intelligently.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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