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PREface

The purpose of this book is to examine lessons in leadership from the interface of faith and public life, especially the political dimension of public life.1 But why write or read a book about navigating the interface of faith and public life, especially the interface between the Christian faith and politics? Does not most of the Western world subscribe to the separation of church and state, frown upon expressions of faith in the public sphere, and—if expressions of faith must be tolerated—confine them to the private and personal sphere?

As both a former member of the Canadian Parliament and a practicing Christian, I, too, believe in the merits of keeping the institutions of the state separate from the institutions of religion. But I also believe that in the long run the attempt to keep the subjects and expressions of faith and public life in separate watertight compartments is undesirable and untenable because real people in open societies with religious traditions and convictions simply do not do so.

The challenge for us, therefore, is twofold. For the secular decision maker, it is desirable to respect and understand the nature and implications of the religious traditions and convictions of citizens who hold them since, whether one agrees with them or not, they are legitimate and important components of the body politic. For people of faith, the challenge is to learn to live and conduct ourselves responsibly at the interface of faith and public life so that we are seen by others as non-coercive and credible contributors to public discourse and so that we are a credit, not a discredit, to our own faith and faith communities. It is hoped that some of the experiences and insights related in the following pages will be helpful in meeting these challenges.

But why focus on lessons about navigating the interface of faith and public life from the Judeo-Christian perspective—in particular, from the public life of Jesus, the Israelite leaders he most often referenced, such as Moses and David, and Jewish exiles such as Daniel and Esther, who lived in political systems hostile to their faith?

First, because at least in much of the Western world, this is the most prevalent religious tradition and the one that has impacted most heavily our politics and governance. As a Canadian, it is the tradition and interface with which I am personally most familiar and experienced from both a religious and a political standpoint.

Second, because a better understanding of the lessons from the interface of the Judeo-Christian faith and politics should be of considerable assistance to those wrestling to understand and handle the forceful intrusion of Islam into the global political arena. If we don’t thoroughly grasp the lessons to be learned from the faith-political interactions within our own religious and political traditions and culture, it’s unlikely that we will be adequately equipped to handle public and political interactions with other faith traditions.

Third, and most important, the lives and experiences of prominent biblical characters who lived and operated at the interface of faith and public life during their lifetimes are highly fascinating and highly instructive.

Consider Jesus. What other figure in history has at least a nominal following of over one billion persons 2,000 years after a public career of only 36 months? And who were the main historical figures he quoted or referenced in his public addresses and teachings? Moses, David, and the prophets—all of whom operated in their times at the interface of faith and public life. Their stories and experiences are recorded in what Christians call the Old Testament, portions of which may today be offensive to the sense and sensibilities of the modern mind. But again let us be reminded that to the best of our knowledge, these are the principal texts that Jesus of Nazareth read and studied—texts that shaped and inspired his life of self-sacrificial love and service. For that reason alone, they and the lessons they contain should commend themselves to our serious consideration.

Finally, allow me to provide a brief defence of the perspective I employ in seeking to derive leadership lessons of contemporary significance from the ancient biblical record of the life and experiences of Jesus and the Israelite leaders and prophets he referenced.

Our modern tendency is to interpret and judge the beliefs and actions of historical figures from the perspective of the beliefs, knowledge, and analytic methodologies of our own age. Thus the modern reader might ask, What can contemporary people, most of whom now believe that the universe is the product of natural forces and that God is a product of the human imagination, possibly learn from Moses, who believed that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”2 and that God is a real, omniscient being who communicates directly and indirectly with humanity?

Or what might the modern reader who may be persuaded that Jesus was a good man and an influential teacher possibly learn from the perspective of the Gospel writers that he was much more than that—that he was deity incarnate, resurrected from the dead by the power of God, and is eternally present and active in the world?

My own response to these questions is to say, let us—at least for a moment—not judge and interpret the lives and experience of Jesus and the Israelite leaders he referenced solely by the beliefs, knowledge, and analytic methodologies of our own age. To do so exclusively would render most of sacred and secular history largely irrelevant to our own times and circumstances. Rather—at least for a moment—let us examine and interpret these ancient lives and experiences as best we can from the perspective of their own beliefs, knowledge, and age. And let us see whether by so doing we might, as I believe we will, derive lessons still highly relevant to our own times and circumstances.

To guard ourselves against the hubris of modernity and postmodernity, would we not be wise to heed the counsel of Jesus himself on judging the motives and actions of others? “Do not judge,” he told his earliest followers, “or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”3

In future years, if and when posterity looks back on our lives and experiences to see what lessons if any they might learn therefrom, do we not desire that they would first of all seek to interpret our lives and actions through the perspective that actually guided us rather than through some future perspective, different from ours and largely unknown to us at this time? It is this desire to respect and learn, first and foremost from the perspective of the life and times of Jesus and the Israelite leaders he referenced, that has guided me in this study and that I encourage the reader to share.

And so, whether you are a person of faith seeking to learn more about how to conduct yourself at the interface of faith and public life or someone of a secular mindset simply seeking to better understand what can be learned about the interface of faith and public life from the Judeo-Christian perspective, please join me in examining Faith, Leadership and Public Life: Leadership Lessons from Moses to Jesus.

Preston Manning

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

September 2017

1 Much of the material in this book was originally prepared for lectures on the relationship of faith to politics. I have since been convinced that many of the principles and lessons derived therefrom have an even broader application—useful to any person seeking to be faithful to their most deeply held beliefs while operating in any public arena. Hence the reference in the title, and frequently throughout the following pages, to faith, leadership, and “public life.”

2 Genesis 1:1.

3 Matthew 7:1–2.