Monday, October 10, 2016

A Word about "so-called" leaders

There's been a lot of talk about "Christian leaders" this political season. A lot of them came out for Donald Trump.Then, lately, some of those (Grudem and MacDonald) have retracted their support. Good for them, say I. What had blinded you up till now?

But there's something else I want to say about these so-called leaders. What makes these men "leaders" after all? I mean, certainly they are leaders in their own churches. But are they leaders in the greater church? Are they? It's kind of annoying to hear people from all over the map called an evangelical leader or a Christian leader, as if Christians everywhere respectfully follow Pat Robertson or Franklin Graham or whomever. These people never were my leaders, I know that much.

They're really Christian entrepreneurs who have built a following by means of (often ghost-written) books and videos and the fertile conference culture of evangelicalism, by which they incessantly grow their "minstries" (which are usually named after themselves). But that kind of so-called leadership may have seen its day. They're craven willingness to cozy up to the likes of the creepy Donald J. Trump has revealed them for the opportunists they have always been.

For a lot more depth on this subject, read Dreher's piece, The End of Movement Conservatism's World. Dreher is great, by the way. I'm following him closely. His lengthy quotes within that article of David French, Russell Moore, and Vaclav Havel are all quite apt and significant.

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