Are responsible leaders obligated to build a Godly society?
Pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer certainly thought so.
While he was in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII, Bonhoeffer wrote:
“The ultimate question of a responsible man to ask is not how to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation is to live.”
Bonhoeffer believed that we all must share the responsibility to shape history. We must take responsibility for the way we live in light of God’s call on our life. We must recognize, for good or for bad, that our actions have an impact on future generations.
Hosea’s Call to Israel
The Bible illustrates the impact of leaders on future generations over and over.
In the Old Testament, we see the record of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. First, God raises up a prophet who leads the people closer to God, and they prosper. The people then drift away from God and ultimately suffer for doing so. Eventually, the people call out to God and God raises up a prophet who calls the people to repentance. The people repent and come back to Him. When they do, they prosper again. This cycle of drawing close and drifting away from God repeats throughout Israelite history.
As I was studying this week, I made note of one particularly compelling example to demonstrate this cycle of the Israelites drifting away, repenting, and returning to God in the life of the prophet Hosea.
In Hosea’s time, the people of Israel were enjoying material prosperity. However, they were also corrupt and declining spiritually.
God loved His people so much He raised up Hosea as a prophet to call the people back into a relationship with Him.
Hosea called on the Israelite leaders for over 40 years to repent and lead the people back to God, but they ignored Hosea’s warnings. They were happy in their comfortable lifestyles and didn’t see a need to change.
The people abandoned God and prostituted themselves by worshipping foreign gods.
Hosea warned the leaders and the people to return to God and to repent of their worship of false gods. If they returned to God, Hosea promised that God would forgive them. On the other hand, if they refused, they would face God’s judgment.
Sadly, the people did not listen to Hosea. Thus, God allowed the King of Assyria to attack and conquer the Israelites in the northern kingdom. The Israelites were deported and resettled in other lands.
The ten Israelite tribes of the northern kingdom ceased to exist. They lost everything because of their stubborn refusal to repent and return to God.
Are We Repeating the Cycle?
As I wrote this article, I wondered, are we repeating the same errors as the Israelites? It certainly seems so to me. Entire nations responsible for building faith-based societies for hundreds of years have now turned away from God.
Secularization that began in Europe during the Age of Enlightenment spread to England and then to the United States. Here in America, this secularization movement is known as “progressivism.”
Sadly, study after study tells us that Americans are becoming more ambivalent about God. We are drifting away from God, just as the Israelites did in Hosea’s time.
Yes, we may be enjoying economic prosperity. However, I believe, and I’m sure many if not all of you will agree that like the Israelites we have become corrupt and are declining spiritually.
How long will God be patient with us? How long before we face His judgment?
Where Are Our Responsible Leaders?
Bonhoeffer asked the question, how must a responsible leader live? Does a Godly leader stick his head in the sand and ignore the decline of society? Do we accept the secularization of society and the rejection of God to continue?
Where are our Hosea’s? Who is issuing the clarion’s call warning people against the tidal wave of progressivism, which is destroying our society?
I think Bonhoeffer would say, as believers, the responsibility lies with all of us! We all need to be responsible leaders calling on people to come back to God.
So, the ultimate question responsible leaders need to be asking is, “What can I do to bring others into a right relationship with God?”
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Aside from asking the question, “what can I do?” What are you actually doing to bring people into a right relationship with God?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Obedience to God
