A biblically based examination of moral leadership in all aspects of human society, spawned by the current controversy surrounding the American President.
The following study is occassioned by the present national crisis. Our government is about to begin an impeachment inquiry for the express purpose of determining whether it is appropriate to impeach the sitting president, Bill Clinton. Of course, it is not the purpose of this article, or this magazine to engage in political activity. However, it is appropriate to comment upon these circumstances as they serve as a barometer of this nation’s current moral climate. Such an examination will allow us to make pertinent suggestions on how to more effectively please God both as a nation, and as individual Christians seeking to influence our people (nationally) for good.
- Bill Clinton, whose sexual exploits have long been common knowledge, had an affair with a 21 year old Whitehouse intern, Monica Lewinsky, which took place in portions of 1996 and 1997.
- When asked under oath in a depostion to Paula Jones’ lawyers, (who was suing him for sexual harrassment), he perjured himself, denying the affair.
- He also lied to the American public on many occasions. One occasion, he wagged his finger at the cameras, and said, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman… Ms. Lewinsky.”
- When confronted with undeniable proof of his relationship, he admitted to “wrong”, but continues to hide behind tortured syntax and semantics regarding the nature of his relationship.
- Additionally, he is charged with the following in the Lewinsky matter
- Obstruction of Justice
- Witness tampering
- A total of 15 indictments have been presented to the judicial committee as basis for 			impeachment proceedings. Congress has voted (along party lines) to begin an Impeachment Inquiry.
- Other possible scandals could still come into play
- Whitewater
- Travelgate
- Improper Campaign Financing
Despite these indiscretions, the President’s approval rating remains high. Note the following article, which appeared in the October 12th edition of the Ft. Worth Star Telegram
October 12, 1998, 7:00 pm EDT (Associated Press)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job? Approve 45 percent, disapprove 49 percent, no opinion 7 percent — The Washington Post.
Whom do you trust to do a better job of coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years — Clinton or the Republicans in Congress? Clinton 52 percent, Republicans 34 percent — The Washington Post.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the issue of impeachment? Approve 31 percent, disapprove 62 percent, no opinion 7 percent.
And the Democrats? Approve 39 percent, disapprove 49 percent, no opinion 12 percent — The Washington Post.
Do you think there is more risk of a downturn in the U.S. economy if President Clinton remains in office or if he is forced from office by resignation or impeachment? More risk if he stays 23 percent, more risk if he leaves 47 percent, makes no difference 22 percent, not sure 8 percent — Fox News/Opinion Dynamics.
The Washington Post poll of 802 adults taken Thursday through Saturday and the Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll of 900 registered voters taken Wednesday and Thursday had margins of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
As additional proof of our contention that President Clinton remains popular in our nation despite his current troubles with congress, we submit the following article as well.
October 12, 1998, Washington Post, by Richard Morin
The poll found that support for the Republican-held Congress has fallen the most among voters who say they are certain to vote in November, as well as among political independents, the swing voters who are key to the outcome of congressional races around the country.
At the same time, support for Democratic candidates for the House has increased among likely voters, while the proportion currently intending to vote Republican has fallen.
These declines in congressional approval and candidate preferences are modest and perhaps temporary. But the results across a range of key questions suggest that the political climate may be a bit chillier now for many congressional incumbents and Republican House candidates than it was just a week or two ago.
The survey found that Clinton is more popular now than he was before the House vote Thursday to begin impeachment proceedings. Two in three Americans -67 percent — say they approve of the job that Clinton is doing as president, up from 63 percent in a Post-ABC News survey conducted the last week of September.
Nearly half of those interviewed in the recent poll, 48 percent, said they “strongly” approve of the president’s performance, the highest level of strong support for Clinton in a Washington Post survey. The president even made modest gains among Republicans: 39 percent approve of the job Clinton is doing as president, up from 32 percent in September.
A total of 802 randomly selected adults were interviewed Thursday night through Saturday for the survey. Margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
According to the poll, the proportion of likely voters who say they intend to vote for the Democratic House candidate increased from 47 percent to 51 percent in the past two weeks. Republican support fell from 47 percent to 42 percent.
- Prove from scripture that a Leader’s immorality is a causal factor in the degradation of societal morality.
- Make applications of this premise in the following areas: Society in General (National leaders), Business, Home and Church.
- Give suggestions regarding how we as Christians can effect change in this area.
A quick listing of all the Kings of Israel reveals evil rulers were the rule:
- Jeroboam built gold calves.
- Nadab followed his father’s sin.
- Baasha did evil (1 Kgs. 15:34).
- Elah was killed while drinking himself drunk (1 Kgs. 16:9).
- Zimri took the throne by conspiracy (1 Kgs. 16:10).
- Omri acted more wicked than all before him (1 Kgs. 16:24).
- Ahab did more evil than all the kings (1 Kgs. 16:30).
- Ahaziah did evil (1 Kgs. 22:52-53).
- Joram allowed the evil of his mother Jezebel to continue (2 Kgs. 9:22).
- Jehu “took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel” (2 Kgs. 10:31).
- Jehoahaz followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 13:2).
- Joash followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 13:11).
- Jeroboam II followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 14:24).
- Zechariah followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 15:9).
- Shallum took throne by conspiracy (2 Kgs. 15:10).
- Menahem followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 15:18).
- Pekahiah followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 15:24).
- Pekah took throne by conspiracy, followed after the sins of Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 15:25,28).
- Hoshea did evil in the sight of God (2 Kgs. 17:2).
- Israel was taken away into Assyrian exile during the 9th year of Hoshea’s reign
Evident from the preceding list is the fact that the Kingdom of Israel was characterized by corrupt leadership, idolatry and immorality. To illustrate this corruption, note the following excerpt from the Holman Bible Dictionary article on the prophet Amos. It speaks to the moral conditions of Israel during the time of Amos, prophet of Israel. These were characteristic times of this rebellious nation.
- Amos was a layperson who disclaimed professional status as a prophet: “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’ ” (7:14-15 RSV). Because of God’s call, Amos assumed his prophetic responsibilities as a lonely voice prophesying from both the desert and the villages. He indicted both Judah and Israel, challenging the superficial qualities of religious institutions. For Amos, his call and his continuing ministry rested in God’s initiative and in His sustaining power: “The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?’ ” (3:8 RSV).
Amos lived in a time of relative peace on the international political scene…
Internally, the political structures of both Israel and Judah were stable. Beginning his prophetic activity during the reign of Jeroboam II in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Amos lived during an era that rivaled Solomon’s generation in its stability and economic prosperity (2 Kings 14:23-27). Yet, it was precisely the social, moral, and religious problems attending that prosperity that became the focus for Amos’ voice of judgment…
Morally, Israel and Judah were suffering under the corruption generated as a by-product of Canaanite and Tyrian Baalism, as well as infidelity to the Lord’s covenant. Israelite society had experienced the inevitable decay which characterizes misdirected prosperity. It may appear strange that the corruption of Israelite society could be traced to its contemporary religious structures and to the material prosperity which Israelites so often interpreted as a sign of divine favor. Despite the contradictory nature of those circumstances, the debauched moral condition of the land was the product of both corrupt religion and perverted material prosperity. Rampant luxury and self-indulgence were clearly manifest (1:6ff; 4:1ff; 5:10ff; 6:1ff; 8:4ff).
Exploitation of the poor occurred throughout the land (2:6; 3:10; 4:1; 5:11; 8:4-6). Justice was distorted. The dynamism of personal religious experience gave way to the superficiality of institutional religion as demonstrated in the conflict between Amos and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (7:10ff). Amos’ opposition to those moral and religious evils led him to emphasize the primary theme of the book: “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream” (5:24 RSV).
The reader may note the condemnation of the rich ladies of Israel in Amos 4:1-3, “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’ The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness: ‘Behold, the days shall come upon you When He will take you away with fishhooks, And your posterity with fishhooks. You will go out through broken walls, Each one straight ahead of her, And you will be cast into Harmon,’ Says the LORD.” Israel was condemned because of her ungodliness. Amos 4:12-13, “‘Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!'” For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth; The LORD God of hosts is His name.”
The preceding particulars regarding the rebelliousness of Israel serve to show the causal relationship between ungodly leadership and the moral decline of a people. The circumstances we see presently in our society were mirrored in antiquity by the corruption of Israel’s kings and people. In contrast to this ungodliness and corruption, we assert that godly leadership can help to solidify a nations standing before God.
Josiah became king at age 8, and reigned for 31 years (2 Chron. 34:1). He was the last good king of Judah. At age 20, he destroyed the alters and idol worship (34:3-7). At age 26 he gave orders to repair the temple (34:8). His heart was “tender”, and he “humbled” himself before God when he found the book of God’s law. (34:26-27). He read the Book of the Covenant to the people (34:30). He “made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.” (34:33). He made the people keep a Passover to the Lord (35:1). 2 Chronicles 35:17-19, “And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.”
Josiah was the last king to reign over a free Judah throughout his reign. Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim & Jehoiachin reigned as Judah faltered, and all did evil in God’s sight. Judah fell into Babylonian bondage, and captivity. The final glory of Judah came as a result of the remarkable and laudable moral leadership of the good king Josiah.
This event as recorded in the book of Jonah serves to illustrate our point regarding the ability of a “leader”, in this case the King of Ninevah, to influence the people for good. It was because of his example, and his command that the people repented. He had the ability to influence and the position to facilitate their change of heart.
Our society closely mirrors the immoral society we see in New Testament times. Notice the Apostle’s description of an immoral society, present in the first century, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:28-32).
Paul states on another occassion, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
These verses describe an ungodly people, and Paul reveals them worthy of judgment. And it is appalling how accurate that description is of our nation today. God judges the nations (and will judge America, barring repentance). Note the principle Paul establishes in Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Further, he states in Acts 17:24-26, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.”
A lack of moral leadership is also seen with regard to a lack of ethics in business. It is not uncommon to see the abuse of workers by employers. In fact, one of the most disturbing things about Clinton’s indiscretion is that he took advantage of his position, and influenced someone who worked for him to engage in evil. Of course, Ms. Lewinsky was not guiltless in this matter, and was guilty of leaving here place in the “employer/employee” relationship. Such is also common today, insubordination, larceny and rebellion on the part of employees is the rule rather than the exception.
The Bible regulates the employee/employer relationship. For example, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully” (1 Peter 2:18-19). Also, “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:5-9).
The lack of moral leadership in America is seen espcially in the American family. The husband and father has been given very grave responsiblities as “head” of the home (cf. Ephesians 5:23). Today we have men who are absent fathers (not husbands, or not devoted); husbands who are not attentive to their wives; epidemic rates of adultery and fornication; and men who are not taking the responsibility to be the spiritual leaders in the home. Paul said in Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Joshua proclaimed in Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Notice the effect Joshua’s pledge had on the people (a good influence). Joshua 24:16-17, “So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; “for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.”
Finally, there is in many instances a lack of moral leadership in the church. The examples which illustrate this fact are endless. For example, immorality among deacons and preachers (we all know of the examples). It is of the utmost importance that preachers and elders maintain the utmost decorum with women. Stay away from even the appearance of impropriety. Stay away from pornography (the internet makes it easy). Keep yourself morally pure.
Other examples which show a lack of moral leadership follow.
- A lack of conviction regarding the truth of God’s Word.
- A lack of virtue (moral courage; the courage of your conviction), this too is a moral problem.
- Too many preachers and elders are trying to go along to get along, instead of standing for truth;
- Too often there is the chastising of the messenger when error is exposed. If a person is going about it the wrong way, then show him the right way, but be sure that you DO IT! Error must be exposed! Too often there is the criticism, but the one doing the criticizing is unwilling to expose error himself!
There is the need for leadership in the Lord’s church in our time. What we need in the Lord’s Church today:
- Elders with courage and ability to convict the gainsayer (cf. Titus 1:9-11).
- Preachers with courage and ability to “Preach the Word” both in season and out of season (cf. 2 Timothy 4:2).
- Members who have the courage to “abstain from fleshly lusts” (cf. 1 Peter 2:11), and who are diligent to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).
to Make Things Better in Our Society
First, become involved socially. Take part in the political process. Join civic organizations, and become involved in community activities. Take an active interest in the educational process. All of these social activities are good and will help the Christian to be involved in areas where much good can be done. However, the Christian should realize that these social activities, while good and helpful, are not where the problem of immorality and ungodliness in our society will be solved!!!
We must recognize that the best way we can help society is through our Christian influence and lives. We must be as good as possible in serving as righteous examples to the world. Peter said, in 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” In addition to serving as Christian examples, we should do the following:
- Pray, for all men, but especially for those in positions of authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
- Study, to know what the will of the Lord is. 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
- Preach the Word, that others might be able to know what it is that you know. It is the gospel that can change the world! 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
1 Peter 2:13-17, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
