"Something is rotten in Denmark"

True leaders do not make choices with reference to the opinion of the majority. They make choices based on the opinion of the truth and the truth can come from either the majority or the minority! (Israelmore Ayivor)

Fired!

Accountability in Leadership

Military leaders are held to a very high standard. Being fired or losing any opportunity for advancement can come from something as seemingly simple as "lost confidence in their ability to lead." In 2008, F. E. Warren AFB came under scrutiny after it was discovered that ballistic missile fuses--mistakenly labeled as helicopter batteries--had been sent to Taiwan. After the investigation, several commanders were advised to quietly retire as they had lost their chance for promotion. Most eye-opening for myself as a new Captain was that at least one commander was not even in the seat when the parts were sent! He just happened to be in the seat when the mistake was discovered. Leaders WILL BE held accountable for the culture and climate of their organizations.

Failure to Lead

This idea that leaders are held accountable for the culture and climate they create is what makes Lamentations 4:13 really stand out to me. Accountability for all of the destruction and tragedy the author laments ultimately lands at the feet of the leaders and specifically, the religious leaders--the prophets and priests. Both groups held a very special place in Judean life.

• Prophets were to serve as truth tellers, speaking God's hard truth to power. The Prophet Nathan told King David he had failed and egregiously so (2 Samuel 12). The Prophet Micaiah told King Ahab that entering battle would result in his death (1 Kings 22). The Prophet Jonah told the Ninevites they had three days before God's judgment struck them (Book of Jonah)!

• Priests were to guide the people in the proper worship of a holy God. They stood in the place of the people before a holy God, liaising between the two. Both groups were to protect the community of God's people. And both groups had failed.

Leaders Build Community

We often fail to appreciate the importance God places on community, on caring for the underprivileged in our community, on protecting each member of the community. The people-centered section of the 10 Commandments illustrates this plainly. Lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, perjuring, and dishonoring the elders all break community. It is in community that spiritual growth occurs, the defenseless are protected, the poor are cared for, the grieving are comforted, the unjust are held accountable, and God's love is reflected into the world. It's a big deal. And it is exactly this sense of community that the prophets and priests are to nurture. Instead, they broke it apart again and again.

But it happened because of the sins of her prophet and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous (Lamentations 4:13)

The "blood" mentioned here is more than the red liquid flowing in our bodies. The Expositor's Bible Commentary explains the meaning. "The concept of bloodshed was ... all that cut at the roots of society or that deprived men of their land and livelihood [and] shortened their lives ..." (see Ezekiel 22:1-12). In other words, bloodshed is that which shattered communal living and created unhealthiness, and the prophets and priests who fostered broken community were at fault.

A Culture of Bloodshed

How does this apply to the Evangelical Church in America? Breaking community happens in a number of way. Those who demonize disagreement, who call single mothers "whores," who consider all "immigrants" to be criminals of the worst kind--deserving of being tackled in the streets or pulled out of cars and homes in the midnight hours, and who claim that black and brown people are less than because of their color are breaking community. Bowing at the feet of physical and political power, creating fear and instilling hate, and calling for the destruction of life and livelihood of all who disagree is shedding blood, and this is especially apropos to those religious leaders who are squandering their opportunity to speak truth to power. They are "shedding the blood of the righteous" and will be held accountable for the culture and climate they are engendering.

How to help

How do we help these leaders?

1. Test their words and actions, like the Bereans (Acts 17);

2. Call them to account via email, letters, phone calls, or even presence (but with humility!);

3. Pray for them. Pray that they will work towards community and not disunity; pray that they will speak truth to power, even if it is risky; pray that they will preach/teach/live mercy, love, and grace, remember that mercy comes before judgement (James 2:13).

Prayer

Father, we lift up tonight our Christian leaders. So many are guilty of calling their people to break community, to live in fear and anger, to act in hatred and spite. Others, Father, fly too close to the sun, lusting after power and influence, seeking their reward NOW (much like the Prodigal Son), and have apparently forgotten their true love. Lord, call them back to You. Break through the lying spirits, shine Your light into their darkness, show them the narrow path, that they may once again turn off the highway.

Lord, we are guilty of creating a divisive, disrespectful, prideful community--anathema to Your Word and bloodshed in Your eyes. Forgive us our sins, we pray, and let us truly shepherd the flocks we have been given, providing oversight and Christlike examples, that when the Great Shepherd appears, we--as Christian leaders--will receive the unfading crown of glory.

In the Name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.