Читать книгу The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth - Dallas Willard, Dallas Willard - Страница 30

There is much value in the idea of equality, especially when considering the value and worth intrinsic to every human being. Yet few of us are actually equal when it comes to our responsibilities, and this fact is exposed most prominently in relation to the leaders, spokespersons, and professionals overseeing those institutions and organizations dedicated to business, law, medicine, government, religion, education, and so on. The allure of celebrity that surrounds many of our leaders, both Christian and secular, increases this perceived inequality and has often led to great harm for individuals and institutions alike. The decline in competency and reputation of leading professionals as a whole has even threatened the egalitarian ideals that form our American democratic way of life. Therefore, a renewed philosophy of society, one robust enough for our contemporary life, requires an equally renewed understanding of how the leadership substructures in our society operate, so that leaders can best protect the common interest their positions were created to serve.

And when we talk about leadership here, we are going beyond the limits of just a few fields. Included are any and all persons and groups engaged in a “fiduciary,” or faith-filled, relationship. In fact, it does not take long to discover the innumerable arenas of contemporary life today where a fiduciary relationship occurs and is expected, yet is rarely overtly recognized. A fiduciary relationship only requires the consent of one. A fiduciary arrangement can begin when one individual makes the concerted decision and commitment to do what is in the best interests of the other, regardless of the consequences and circumstances.

To better define moral leadership and fiduciary responsibility, we must also admit that not every occupation is a profession, not every role is a leadership role, and not every job is a vocation. To say that every job is a vocation or that every person is a leader is to misunderstand the special and irreplaceable function of leaders and professionals in our society. What may be most difficult for many in thinking about differentiating professions from nonprofessions is the assumption that a professional is in general “better” than the nonprofessional, or a leader is “better” than a follower. This is absolutely not the case.

In this regard, a corporate attorney and a volunteer after-school soccer coach are both engaged in fiduciary (faith-filled) duties. One agreement is made officially between corporate officers and the court. The other is made every afternoon when a parent drops off a child for practice. Are both professionals? No. Are both leaders? Yes. Are the actions of both valuable? Certainly. Do both require a level of moral character to match the range of their responsibilities? Absolutely.

If you doubt this, consider the international outrage that resulted during the trial and conviction of Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. The field of coaching is not historically defined as a traditional profession (although many today would consider it one). Yet coaches carry immeasurable leadership responsibilities as role models and teachers who guide our children and young people in their development, which of course has a significant and lasting impact on the public welfare. Thus what is understood as public flourishing is composed of innumerable interconnected fields, and it is therefore crucial to engage and discuss the necessity of, qualities for, and responsibilities that make up the societal leadership that Christian men and women must bring to bear upon our world.

However, if we fail to acknowledge the uniqueness of the roles of leaders and professionals compared to those of nonprofessionals, then our communities will never be able to deal, in a more direct way, with the ethical and moral requirements that must be upheld by our professionals and leaders. Yes, there are privileges to leadership, and those with privileges must be held accountable. A great problem has arisen from instances in which some leaders have become divorced from ethical and moral behavior, and other leaders lack answerability for their mishandling of public “goods.” In part this is due to the continued blurring of the lines between the qualities that constitute leaders and their accompanying duties and ethical responsibilities.