Reflections on Statesmanship
A series of essays
- The Power of the Statesman Kneeling Before God August 31, 2020The Power of the Statesman Kneeling Before God God tells us in His instruction book: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. (Romans 14:11)” How does this relate to the Statesman? And what responsibility does this have for the Statesman to model this before our ...
- Regression from Statesman to Politician August 10, 2020Regression From Statesman to a Politician We know very well that it is not sufficient just to begin well. If I were to ask who was the outstanding leader of all time, using external criteria of wealth, wisdom, grandeur, as well as avowed desire to obey God and to be His instrument, instinctively we would answer ...
- The Rewards Motivating the Statesman July 20, 2020The Rewards Motivating Statesman Personal Satisfaction The first reward of the Statesman is personal satisfaction. A survey was done of over 2,000,000 individuals in many different professions seeking to understand how people find meaning in their work. The result was that those who found the most meaning in their work were those whose lives are focused on ...
- The Statesman Is Prepared to Hear God’s Voice June 29, 2020The Statesman Is Prepared to Hear God’s Voice We have made the argument that the best way to ensure that we can operate as a Statesman is to allow ourselves to be an instrument in the hand of Almighty God. An essential part of being His instrument involves the capacity to receive His instructions. This is where ...
- The Statesman as Instrument in the Hand of God June 8, 2020The Statesman as Instrument in the Hand of God The challenges that those serving in Government face are daunting, often seemingly insurmountable. A similar challenge was faced in my nation a century and a half ago. We, in the U.S., had a Civil War that split the nation into irreconcilable factions, seemingly ending this as a ...
- The Statesman as Shepherd During a Time of Crisis May 18, 2020The Statesman as a Shepherd During a Time of Crisis It is useful to pause and reflect on our responsibilities. The Creator of this whole system, within which we operate, has commanded leaders to shepherd those within their care: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for ...
- The statesman creates statesmanlike behaviour in those around him/her, including inducing members of the opposition, to participate in the vision April 27, 2020The Statesman Creates Statesmanlike Behaviors in Those around Them, Including Inducing Members of the Opposition to Participate in the Vision The Statesman faces a dilemma while operating within democratic governance. The Statesman cannot single-handedly enact legislation to support his/her vision without the help of those who are largely Politicians. Hence, one of the greatest challenges the ...
- The Statesman Recognizes the Partnership Between Religion and Government April 6, 2020The Statesman Recognizes the Partnership Between Religion and Government In the battle against the coronavirus, misunderstandings have arisen over the Church and the State. Many Governments have banned gatherings of people, including worship services. A handful of religious leaders have argued that ‘separation of Church and State’ allows the Church to operate without control from the ...
- Response of the Statesman to Challenges Beyond His or Her Ability March 16, 2020Response of the Statesman to Challenges Beyond Their Ability There isn’t a leader who has the ability, by themselves, to cope with the challenges that our nations face. Many, when they look at the challenge of the coronavirus, see such a challenge. Let us begin with the example of Abraham Lincoln. Between the time he was elected ...
- Do We Need God to Be a Statesman? February 21, 2020Do We Need God to Be a Statesman? Can we be a Statesman without depending upon God? I believe that potentially we can. However, I believe that it is absolutely necessary for us to have the values, character qualities that we as humans can best receive by depending upon God for these qualities. How do we move ...