Taking Credit

Some time ago I had someone express to me their disdain for how contemporary Christian artists take the secular sound and write Christian lyrics to it and call it Christian music. This person, not a Christian, suggested to me that this is what Christians do; we don’t have anything really of our own, we just keep stealing ideas and concepts from the secular world and calling it ours.

I can see how someone could think that way. However, one of the problems with this view is that it fails to recognize that the ‘secular sound’ was influenced in a big way by earlier gospel traditions. So who is imitating who one might be caused to wonder really. And what about other areas?

It is not unusual for people to take credit for things without really giving credit where credit is due. I’m sure we are all guilty of this type of behaviour as it is simply part of fallen human nature. We are quite eager to take credit and quite reluctant to give it. However, it seems to me that a lot of contemporary academic movements seem to excel in the practice.

Back in 1970, leadership guru Robert Greenleaf came up with an amazing breakthrough in Leadership Philosophy. He called it ‘servant leadership’. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it all:

“Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf and supported by many leadership and management writers such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max DePree, Larry Spears, Margaret Wheatley, Jim Hunter, Kent Keith, Ken Jennings, Don Frick and others. Servant-leaders achieve results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve. Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization's resources (human, financial and physical)… The modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 essay, ‘The Servant as Leader’, in which he coined the terms ‘servant-leader’ and ‘servant leadership.’ Greenleaf subsequently published a number of additional essays on various aspects of servant leadership. Since his death in 1990, the concept has been developed by other writers such as William W. George, James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Jim Hunter, Ken Jennings, Kent Keith, George SanFacon, and Larry Spears.”

The thing that most of these writers have in common is that none of them, to my knowledge, are writing from a biblical context. And yet, who really ‘coined and defined’ servant leadership? I would humbly suggest to you that it was Jesus.

“Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt 20:25-28

After Jesus washed the disciples feet (Jn 13) He said, “I have done this to you as an example that you should do as I have done.”

Recently I was reading an article by Linda Hill in the prestigious Harvard Business Review. The online article was entitled ‘Leading From Behind’ (May 5/2010). There she wrote as follows:

“This post is part of a six-week blog series on how leadership might look in the future. The conversations generated by these posts will help shape the agenda of a symposium on the topic in June 2010… For now and into the coming decade or so, the most effective leaders will lead from behind, not from the front — a phrase I've borrowed from none other than Nelson Mandela. In his autobiography, Mandela equated a great leader with a shepherd: "He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."

Then she adds these profound words, “It's a concept whose time has come.”

Shepherding? Leading from behind? An idea whose time has come? Really? Or is it a concept whose time has been for a long, long time? Here once again are those on the ‘cutting edge’ of the highest levels of secular academia putting forth what they consider to be the latest and greatest and I’m sure people flock (pardon the pun)to their lectures and book sales.

The simple truth is that the model of the leader as shepherd is owned by the Bible in a really big way. I hardly need to explain that for anyone who actually reads the Bible. Whether it is David’s Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”. Or whether it is Jesus’ wonderful words, “I am the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep…”. Or, whether it is a myriad of other references from the prophets and apostles that use the same model for leadership, the concept is clearly biblical in its orientation.

Furthermore, I read this passage a few days ago:

“Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.” 2Sam 7:8

When God talks about David ‘following the flock’ that sure sounds like the concept of ‘leading from behind’ to me.

So, what does this all mean? Well, the whole thing about ‘servant leadership’ and ‘leading from behind’ means a whole lot if you are striving to be a good leader. That’s for sure. But beyond that, the whole thing means we all really should be more careful to give credit where credit is due.

“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” Rom 13:7