The problem of leadership

The rather common view that people in public office may be there for their own benefit is nothing new. Some 2,500 years ago Aesop, the Greek storyteller, observed that while “we hang the petty thieves” we “appoint the great ones to public office.” Regardless of whether or not there was an historical Aesop, what he had to say about leadership in the public square has been generally true from the beginning of time. Granted, good storytellers (and Aesop was one of the best) are given to hyperbole but that doesn’t really change the issue. His observation about the moral laxity of public officials seems to be exceptionally accurate in today’s world. As we come to know more about what is going on in the centers of power, the more Aesop’s bon mot about petty thieves in high places, rings true. 
       Let’s think together about what might be called the personal adjustment of moral values in the public arena. The newly elected go to their place of responsibility with lofty ideals that will benefit those they represent. If it requires some “swamp draining” they are ready to take on the task. Once in place, the rookie discovers that to be rewarded with a place that will help them to fulfill their commitment to the voters back in Bucketville, certain adjustments must be made. They have to give a bit in order to get a bit. It becomes a sort of swap meet in which the goal of each one is to acquire the necessary leverage to make a difference. What that means is that one needs to have a certain amount of “power,” e.g., place on a better committee. Without influence, to use a more acceptable term, newly elected public officials may find themselves back home with little to show for their term in office.
       It was over 100 years ago that John Acton, the British historian and politician, wrote, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Yet, without granting that dangerous commodity to some, is there any other way to provide governance for a people? Of course, theocracy would be ideal, because a righteous Deity would move us (whether community, state, or nation) quickly and effectively down the right path. Speaking of the delegation of power, I tend to think that the real culprit is not the power itself, but our innate tendency to abuse whatever power falls to us, whether in the public domain, at work, or in the home. Ultimately it is a theological problem.
       Do I think that politicians are bad people? The answer is a qualified No. As members of a fallen race we are all “bad” (Read Rom. 7:15-25), but we are also made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27) and that’s “good.” In Adam we doubted God and decided to disobey. You know the result. In time, some of us sinners looked back at the “Garden” we left (life as God meant it to be) and decided to return by faith (made possible by the redemptive death of Christ) to be where God originally planned for all. Others don’t return. What I would desire for “petty thieves in public office” (as Aesop phrased it) is that they “go home spiritually” so as to provide leadership that doesn’t violate conscience while successfully carrying out the task. 
       Those of us not in public office have a significant role to play in the process; not only are we to be submissive to those chosen for leadership (Rom. 13:1-7), but we are also to uphold them in prayer (1 Tim 2:1-2). The apostle Paul taught submission to governing authorities, and our Democratic Republic is still the best way for a moral population to live and work together toward a brighter future.