Who would you pick to be the new voice for Christianity?

As this decade comes to a close I am reminded of some great Christian leaders who have passed on. Bill Bright (Campus Crusade), Ted Engstrom (YFC and World Vision), Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority), Carl F. H. Henry (Christianity Today), D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Ministries), Stephen Olford (Preacher), Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Adrian Rogers (Minister), and just this week, Oral Roberts.

A few of the aging Christian leaders who seem to be losing their influence, but haven’t yet left the scene, include names like James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Billy Graham (Evangelist), Pat Robertson (CBN), and Robert Schuller (Crystal Cathedral). Most of these leaders are seldom heard from anymore in mainstream media.

Newer names such as Franklin Graham (Samaritan’s Purse), TD Jakes (Potter’s House), Joel Osteen (Lakewood Church), and Rick Warren (Saddleback Church) each continue to generate millions of dollars in donations and product sales like the generation before them. But they don’t seem to be making much impact on society — and like the older generation, these leaders also have little influence through mainstream media.

The “Most Admired” man according to Gallup’s 2008 survey was Barack Obama at 32 percent. Billy Graham and Pope Benedict were the only two Christian ministry leaders who made it on the top-ten list. (And they were way behind Obama, with only two percent each.) None of the younger Christian leaders even made the list.

Hillary Clinton was the “Most Admired” woman at 20 percent. Not a single woman in Christian ministry made the top-ten list. (Sarah Palin followed Hillary with 11 percent, along with Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah, and Angelina Jolie.) Again, no Christian leaders outside of politics.

There are a few voices that have captured audiences. FOXNews has Glenn Beck, a Mormon, and Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, both good Catholic boys. And conservative Rush Limbaugh still has lots of radio listeners.

But who will God tap to speak with Christian conviction and relevance to the current generation?

Will the new “Christian voice” succumb to the gospel of the politically correct? Will their message be merely about socialism, climate change and the melting polar ice cap? Or will they speak the truth from God’s word? Will they address our sin and selfishness, God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ on the Cross, and His willingness to help us overcome our sinful life? And if they preach the gospel, how will they get their message to the masses?

Carrying this torch is a God-sized task. I’m grateful He’s given us a roadmap. One that will help leaders of all organizations be more effective: the Bible.

Here’s some advice from Proverbs 16 by one of the wisest leaders of all time:
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD .
The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Here’s my paraphrase of Solomon’s words:
Carefully examine your motives. God has.
If you’re too proud, you will fall. Count on it.
If you do what you’re supposed to, the way you’re supposed to, you’ll win.
It’s not about the money. Less really is more.
Figuring out how to do the right thing is more satisfying than making money.
When you know you’re right, duck.
When you say the right thing the right way, they’ll want to hear more.
It’s not about winning an argument, it’s about winning a heart and mind.
Keep cool under stress and your impact will be much greater.

Of course, it’s easier to paraphrase Solomon’s advice than to actually live it…

I don’t know how many times I’ve thought, “My life may have been much different if I had read this book a long time ago.” It happened again when I started reading The Influential Leader, by John Edmund Haggai.

Here’s an excerpt from the author’s preface:
I have circled the world more than a hundred times. For 60 years I have been observing leaders … heads of states and heads of corporations … to study top leaders and determine what makes them great … This book … will help ignite the kind of thinking and the kind of action that characterizes the world’s great leaders.

And here’s an inspiring excerpt from “Decide to Invest Fearlessly” in chapter seven:
In 1981, I returned to the lovely island of Bali in Indonesia. Since rooms were tight, I did not stay at my usual stopping place, the Bali Intercontinental, but instead secured accommodations at the Bali Hyatt.

When I arrived and started up the steps to the entrance, the head bellman said, “Welcome to the Bali Hyatt, Dr. Haggai. We’ve reserved the Presidential Suite for you.”

I protested that I had reserved a minimum rate single room.

“The general manager insists,” he said. “He wants you to charge everything to the room — your laundry, dry cleaning, meals, telephone — everything. You are his guest.”

At the registration desk an assistant swept me through. “Oh, no, that’s already taken care of,” he said. “Let me escort you to your suite.”

It was one of the most elegant accommodations I had seen in all of my world travels. Within minutes, the general manager, Michael Ou, arrived to greet me. Stunned, I tried to express my thanks.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.

I had to confess I didn’t.

“In the 1960s when you stayed at the Singapore Intercontinental, I was a bellman, hustling bags. Every time you came, you treated me just as grandly as you treated your friend, the general manager, George Milne. I have harbored a secret dream for all these years that someday I would run my own hotel and be able to show you gratitude for the encouragement and inspiration you gave me.”

The Bible tells us, “Whatever a mans sows, that he will also reap.” It’s just a fact. What do you want? Invest the same thing, and you will receive it back in quantity. Do you want friends? Invest friendship. Do you want love? Invest love. Do you want respect? Invest by respecting others.

You receive back what you invest. How much you receive back depends on how much you invest. If you invest little, you will receive little in return; but if you invest a lot, you will receive a lot.

An influential leader invests habitually. He does not do this because he expects a reward, but because he knows that rewards flow from this kind of behavior. When Michael Ou was a bellhop at the Intercontinental, I had no idea I would ever meet him again. Still less did I calculate that he might do me a handsome favor 20 years down the road. I just knew that politeness made life more enjoyable for everyone, and that this was a win-win outcome at almost no cost to me.

The point is, you don’t need to fear investment of any kind. Investment represents a visionary decision to give freely, as often as you can, within the bounds of sound discipline and good sense. Remember also, that you set the tone as a leader. If your leadership is characterized by love, humility, and self-discipline, you will reap loyalty and devotion from the people you lead. If they recognize that you invest your very life for their good, they will more readily follow your leadership and example.

Adapted from: The Influential Leader. Copyright © 2009 by John Edmund Haggai. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.

John Edmund Haggai is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer and the founder and president of the Haggai Institute for Advanced Leadership Training. His practical formulas for winning over worry, pain, loneliness, and impossible situations have helped many thousands of leaders. And his institute has trained more than 50,000 people in over 175 countries.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be today for our military leaders. The not-so-friendly-fire from the media must be devastating. They’re ripped apart, left and right. Now that one of their own, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, has massacred over a dozen of our heroes, military leaders once again are being blamed.

While the media is trying to decide whether Hasan’s killings were an act of terror, some of our finest leaders are wondering if they’ll need a legal team to defend themselves.

News reports indicate our leaders felt the need to protect Hasan’s freedom of speech. Apparently they knew what he believed based on what he had said, but they weren’t sure how far he’d go. “Maybe he’s serious… maybe he’s not. Maybe he’ll do something, maybe he won’t….”

Clarity
“Clarity” is defined by Dictionary.com as “clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.”

I think we all need to get some clarity — especially our political leaders, military commanders, and the media — about appropriate language and freedom of speech. If you need help gaining perspective, try this: board a commercial airplane and then loudly joke about bombing it. You’ll be amazed at how fast you land in jail. (And that’s for joking about it… not being serious about it.)

It’s really pretty simple. There are times we take speech very seriously. In fact, we take it so seriously, most of us don’t even question the fact that our “freedom of speech” is regulated — even eliminated — and that we’d better be careful about what we say.

It’s time to be just as clear about our war against militants who are so determined to kill us that they will gladly give up their lives to do it.

Courage
Here’s the Wikipedia definition: “Physical courage” is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, or threat of death, while “moral courage” is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.

There are millions of examples of “physical courage.” George Washington is one of my favorites. According to author William Federer, George Washington was out in front, leading his troops and risking his life, while he “rode back and forth across the battle … every other officer on horseback, except Washington, was shot down, until even General Braddock was killed, at which point the troops fled in confusion.”

Washington was a powerful example of physical courage. Afterward, he wrote in a letter to his brother, “But by the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!”

There are also many examples of “moral courage” throughout history. John the Baptist is a good one. His hard work and ministry was eclipsed by his cousin, Jesus; he was thrown in jail; and he eventually lost his head for speaking out against the immoral relationship between the king and the wife of the king’s brother. And over the past 2,000 years, the number of Christian martyrs has grown beyond belief.

Everyday both physical and moral courage are demonstrated around the world by Christians. Sadly, the media ignores it. Take a look at a few of the recent headlines from the Compass Direct news service:

Bangladesh
[Muslim] Police Torture Pastor, Two Others
Muslim Villagers Beat Evangelists in Southeast
Muslim Pilgrims Beat Bible Student
Pastor’s Wife Gang Raped, Home Robbed [by Muslims]

China
[Government] Office Becomes New Force for Religious Repression
Authorities Refuse to Renew Licenses for Human Rights Lawyers
[Christian] Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Religious Rights Abuses Cited
Detained Uyghur Christian Taken to Hospital
Action Urged for Missing [Christian] Rights Activist
Tortured Christian Lawyer Arrested, Officials Deny Abuses
Officials Grapple With Spread of Christianity
House Church Raids, Arrests Continue

Egypt
Two Copts [Christians] Imprisoned After Reporting Attack [by Muslims]
Violence Again Erupts Over Quest for [Christian] Worship Site
Police Collusion Suspected in Attack on Church
Two Clashes Shake Coptic [Christian] Community
Village Christians in Hiding After Clash
Rescue of Coptic [Christian] Girl Prompts Muslim Attack
Court Denies Right to Convert to Second Christian
Policemen Sentenced to Only Five years for Killing [a Christian]
Stabbing, Bombing Attacks Strike Near Two Churches
Convert Arrested for Marrying Christian
Islamic Lawyers Urge Death Sentence for [Christian] Convert
Christians Sent to Prison After Brutal Police Raid

And those are just some of the reports. There are dozens of additional stories, both reported and unreported, of Christian persecution and harassment in Burma, Columbia, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam.

The most obvious source of this hatred and terrible persecution comes from two sources: religious (Muslim and Buddhism) extremists and Communism.

Leadership
Which brings me to the third point,  “leadership.” Obviously, we need it now more than ever. Men and women with the clarity and courage to say and do what’s needed. I’m not suggesting a holy war against all Muslims or declaring war on all Communists. But I am suggesting that we maintain a proper perspective regarding anyone who wants to take away our freedom and kill us: we should be at war with them. And we should be courageous enough to say so.

When leaders in academia, government, the media and the military unite against this hatred, it may reunite our country so we can win the war. I hope and pray it doesn’t take another 9/11 to find the clarity of purpose that will inspire us and give us the courage to lead our nation to victory.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”     – Joshua 1:9