Me:                      I am going to change the world

The World:         Change thyself first!

It is true that charity begins at home; it is also true that leadership and true salvation are inside-out; hence, when we meet potential change-agents, particularly the ones we know, it is a lot difficult to believe they can make significant differences. Particularly if we met them before they became “significant”; afterwards, everyone else can believe.

When David showed up to kill Goliath, everyone took him serious except his brother; to whom he answered, “is there not a cause?”. Of course, David, there is a cause; the only issue is why it had to be you that is concerned about it!

Why You?

The reason why this question is often difficult to answer can be attributed to knowledge – our knowledge of ourselves – our perception. David had an individual sense of significance and everyone who has achieved anything significant does. Your internal sense of mediocrity is not a virtue, particularly if you cannot rise above it.

For David, he rose above it, not because he found anything extraordinary about himself, but that He could see God in his very ordinary life. Our sense of significance need not come from ourselves, in-fact, it shouldn’t come from ourselves. It should come from the acknowledgement of our relationship with God and from our basic humanity; I will discuss the latter first.

Public Good and the Individual Sense of Significance

There is a correlation between the influence of individual liberty or the sense of it on the development of nations (public good). When men lived under tyrannical kings, the nobles owned everything of value and there were few incentives to be creative or aspiring; particularly for public good. Hence, when Goliath taunted Israel for 40 years, it was primarily King Saul’s problem – he had the most to lose. We see a similar structure in corporate firms and nations where CEOs and Presidents are the “kings”; the leader is deemed to be personally responsible for the socio-economic destinies of those under their jurisdictions. It is not common to see a “commoner” share these “kingly” burdens even though for the most part, the “king” is really no different from the commoner.

The result of this state of affair is that though everyone talks about the kings, few ponder on the things kings ponder on; it is as if we don’t know that this pondering, regardless of titles, is kingship itself. So, when for example, you take a look at the topics of our undergraduate and post-graduate thesis, particularly in Nigeria, you begin to see the incapacity of the current system to contribute significantly to the current problems of the society; we are not even asking the right questions, simply because of the lack of this sense of significance. You can do a better analysis by evaluating the quality and “kingliness” of the private meditations of the average young person.

Africa and The False Assumption of Significance

It is important to point out that it is often falsely assumed that those with positions are significant and should worry more about our development issues. Hence, it is not unusual that in Africa, it is assumed that the Colonial masters know better (the foreign-is-good syndrome), that the Professors know better, the PhDs, the Senators and the Executive Cabinet Members. Well, if they did, with all the AID money and support we’ve been receiving; the plethora of leadership and Academics at every level, our problems would have been solved.

It is even worse when these individuals believe they actually do know better. Good kings, however, know that the Davids, Josephs and Daniels of this world hold the answer and are not afraid to let them shine.

These false assumptions, to me, is one of the most limiting stereotypes of the African race, it breeds mediocrity, closes its eyes and is lost in perpetual prayer; waiting for a messiah. It is no surprise then that a lot of such “close-your-eye” religiosity is now focused on demons, witches and enemies; it is simply because the problems haven’t gone away – hence, someone need to be blamed.

In truth, Christianity is not a leap of faith into the dark but rather, into light. Arise from your slumber, allow Christ to give you light!

David believed God

David’s sense of significance came from His knowledge of God and His work in Him; all of us who claim such knowledge are called to find likewise courage in Him. Studying David’s life, we do not find a saint, rather, we find a man who sought and found God. By that knowledge (the truths he found) he literally changed the world, he changed himself too – he allowed truth to always conquer him and by that, he could conquer all, including his gravest errors.  

Me: You can change the world.

“Are we not all cowards, here, in the comforts of this hotel pontificating on what ought to be, what we would want to see; yet, forever delaying the day? Are we not cowards, to have great visions buried under the unease calm of safety, waiting, hoping that one day the King would come calling; is change ever freely given?”

Those were my words to a friend yesterday, it was a bit more pointed than that though; to an extent we agreed that in our patience, we could sense another feeling – the sense that we could do a lot better, if we were a bit bolder. Our concern was for the nation, yet the subject matter appeals to an even greater truth – the human burden in the light of a soul contorted by the vicissitudes of life.

The Caricature of the Soul

Life happens; to us all and she leaves her marks. The human ideal of joy and happiness are ideals not even conceived by everyone, some have never known it; to some, life has been a bitter pill from the beginning, hence, the hope of joy and happiness is something quite different from the norm; yet something none-the-less.

To some, joy and happiness is to overcome their burden – to beat the odds that have beaten them for as long as they can remember; to some who’ve never had such odds, the ideal is of a different nature altogether.

Hence, since the soul should in its perfect soul be of a particular sort, we often do not even know of what sort it is, yet, we feel it; and we feel it so strongly. We share a common burden, the burden of the soul; to attain to a certain utopia – a utopia that constantly eludes us.It is the chase of this utopia that has made the best and the worst of us; urged on by his diverse contortions, man has strived, pushed and shoved to attain this illusory light – to some, nobility, to some, ignobility. Weighed on by his burden, man have in the process lost something so unique, yet so easily lost – his conscious self.

The Animal Man

He is a lot more clever than the ape; could be socially literate, financially literate, yet an animal none the less. A creature of instincts, of flesh, nerves and bones. The animal man is very much like the real man, the difference is that the former is not really conscious; he is not awake. You must have seen him, this animal man, he could fool you; like the beautiful sculpture, it is almost alive, but it is not.

The animal man is man who had labored at the burden of hope, found it tiresome and had gone to sleep, a deep sleep; yet dances to the sway and tunes of the times. In fact, only to that tune; the great noise of the universe is his dreamland, he sings along, dances along, prays along, speaks along, sleeps along and dies along.

Now, I must say this; will not hold back, yes, the animal man is at sync with the caricature of his soul; he is defined by it, motivated by it, praised and rewarded by it. These different caricatures in its diversities typifies persons, people groups and cultures; as if forged by fire, the soul of man bends to the ills of his time and somehow stays frozen by it, stone hard; immune to change.

When we say people of different cultures behave in particular way; we refer to their unique caricatures.It is not that this man loves all of his caricatures, he hates it and hates it even more in others; hence, he is not only bent, he is also alone. The height of this liberty is insanity, a phenomenon so much more common in our world. Hence, national development is not enough, civil liberties are not enough, not even human rights could help this animal of a man. Great ideals no doubt, yet attuned best to man; liberty is great, but not for pigs – it would kill him; and yes, the animal man kills himself, by his liberty. So, we must wake him up, for nothing else will do.

Truthful Grace

An ape cannot make itself into a man, but God can do so; hence, the term “grace”. Not that it is unmerited, but that it is God-given, this ability to be alive. At creation, that something upon which God breathed, of course is not man, he is the object of which I’ve been talking about.

But that entity with whom He conversed after He had breathed, is fully man. The Great Spirit, God; is Truth, in Him there is no variableness, no contortions, no caricatures. He breathes unto dead men to make them alive, and He breathes unto them in truth. “Sanctify them by your word, your word is Truth”; Truthful grace calls our caricatures what it is – sin, and only the contorted man who is humble enough will accept this. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”; only the humble can come alive.

Only the Penitent

I read quite a lot of Indiana Jones growing up and one particular line in his adventures had left an indelible mark in my memory, the place where he had to pass “The Breath of God” – one of the 3 puzzles to be passed before one could have access to the grail cup.

A lot of Indiana Jones’ colleagues had been beheaded as they tried to cross the dark tunnel; as his turn came and he wondered what the words “only the penitent shall pass” meant, he remembered from Scripture that “the penitent man is a humble man before the Lord, the penitent man kneels before the Lord”! He immediately knelt, and missed the sharp blade that almost had his head.

Humble Living

Humble living is truthful living, it is the sincere understanding of the human condition, of its bondages and contortions, it is also the commitment to truth in love; and the knowledge that only those who can humbly come would in reality experience the life they had longed for all their lives. Nothing else will do.

This paper aims to discuss the subject matter of corporate governance in the body of Christ. This discussion is critical at this point in the body of Christ, especially in Nigeria, in view of the leadership crisis the nation is experiencing. The church, as the light of the world, the ground and pillar of truth has a lot to teach and demonstrate about leadership.

For simplicity, the questions it desires to answer will be first presented and the rest of the paper will seek to answer them in no order; other related questions will be presented in the course of the paper. The questions are enumerated to help identification in discussing the answers provided.

Context

The discussion of corporate governance could be seen in certain quarters as predicated on the absence of trust; this posture, however, is incorrect as most successful corporate governance practices are those instituted by leadership. This corporate governance deliberations, therefore, proceeds from this premise – a deliberate attempt by leadership to do the right thing. A premise, other than this could portray and/or suggest a state of rebellion.

Questions:

1. What should be the organizational structure of the New Testament Church?
   1. How should the different tasks be distributed?
   2. How should the different departments relate with each other?
   3. Is there a model for such a structure?
2. What are the functions (tasks) of the New Testament Church?
3. What is Corporate Governance?
4. Is there biblical basis to enshrine Corporate Governance in the local church?

Introduction

Contemporary Definition of Corporate Governance

The subject of Corporate Governance refers to the framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled within an organisation.

It encompasses the mechanisms by which organisation and those in control are held to account.

In a nutshell, it has two elements:

1. Rules, Systems and Processes for Exercising Authority
2. Mechanisms for Accountability

Questions

1. Should leadership in the Church have rules and systems for exercising authority?
2. Should there be accountability structures?

Answers can be found in the following passages of Scripture:

1. The Oracle of Kingship – recognizes the equality of the people of God, particularly with respect to the conscious humility of their leadership – so that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren (Deut 17: 14-20).
2. The Doctrine of Service (John 13; Mark 10:35-45) recognizes the servant posture of leadership; to serve and not to be served.
3. The Doctrine of Agreement – recognizes the need for homogeneity of will in the exercising of Church power. (Math 18:20, 1 Cor 14:29.
4. The practice of the Saints – the republican Apostolic approach exemplifies these understanding. (Acts 15).
5. The Above-Board Dispensation of the Apostles – in dealing with the complains of the Hellenists portray these understanding. They had complained about their widows and were told to appoint for themselves a board of Deacons. Note that the apostles’ teachings ensured they had men that met the qualifications, but it is the people that chose the men. (Acts 6:1-7)

So, we will proceed on the premise that there should be accountability structures in the Church, and that the presence of these structures does not imply the lack of trust; however, more emphasis will be made on the pillars of this premise.

It is important that the reader notes that beyond the organizational structures that make for corporate governance, is the heart for such. In fact, it is the opinion of the authors that no corporate governance intervention will be successful on the long term if the posture of the heart and the affections of the mind are not first addressed.

The Posture of the Heart

The Oracle of Kingship

In Deut 17, we see that indeed all leadership possess the capacity to multiply riches for itself and usually does; yet, the best of civilizations (judged by the well-being of the citizens) is seen when this does not happen; the best of Church history occurred in the era where her leadership refused (intentionally) not to multiply riches; the worst of church history occurred when the church got lost with economic and political power.

The oracle of Kingship is wise not because it makes the leader humble but more importantly, because it makes the people humble. Followers tend to outdo their leaders and part of Africa’s problem is embedded in the character of her religious leadership. Note also, from the Words of Jesus to the Jews with respect to the Pharisees and Scribes in Mathews 23:1-12; a situation can arise where doctrine is not the issue but rather, lifestyle.

The Oracle of Kingship is more about the heart of the leader than anything else; the leadership must not see itself as better than the followers in kind.

The Doctrine of Service

Leadership exists to serve the body; the service of the body is not only in word and doctrine but in socio-economic welfare as seen with the early church – “that none lacked” was a big part of the focus; the subject of the service was not just in the delivery of the Word but very much in the meeting of the needs of the body. Nearly all mentions of giving and sacrifice in the New testament was to meet the need of the saints. Again, the practice of this has political implications; the early Church saw dramatic giving; not because of coercion but because it was one for another – all for one, one for all.

The prophecy of Jesus about the sheep and the goats offer excellent review material on this subject (Math 25:33-46).

The Doctrine of Agreement

Leadership authority is best exercised in agreement and agreement requires diversity and humility; hence, the early church had a council of elders and apostles. The Roman Civilization had a wonderful mixture of power deployment where Ceaser had to agree with the Senate; we also see such in the Trinity; the Father loves the Son and gives him everything; the Son loves the Father and does only His will; the Spirit loves the Son and the Father and will not speak of Himself. The three agree; unity in diversity. Uni-varsity.

The Church is not borrowing division of power and the principle of agreement in diversity from the world; it is the nature of reality; deriving its bearing from the First Cause.

The Above Board Dispensation

The decision of the Apostles to ask for the appointment of leaders was to give the Church leaders ownership in the disbursement of their gifts. “We are not masters of your faith; we are helpers of your joy” (2 Cor 1:24). Leadership is a tool for the edification of the Saints and the best of its work is seen in the independence of the saints, not in their captivity. Leaders must see to the maturity of the Saints, and nothing matures the saint as responsibility.

Summary

The Premise of Corporate Governance in the Church is founded on the following:

A non-materialistic leadership committed to the spiritual and material blessing of the led, deployed in a manner that depicts sufficient transparency to avoid accusation, with structures for consensus building between membership and the leadership.

We find this in the lifestyle of Apostle Paul who took up vocation not just because he needed the money; he wanted to be above board. He knew that these things mattered.

The functions of the Church

1. Spiritual Edification – Word and Prayer
2. Material Edification – ministry to the widows, the poor and the less privileged.

Current Assessment

A current assessment of most church expenses will reveal a trend like this

• 85% to Overhead (rent, equipment, purchases)
• 5% to wages, honorarium
• 5% to social services and welfare

Sometimes, there are no other evangelical platforms outside the four corners of the Church.

There are reasons for this, however, the major outcomes are that there are a lot of people complaining like they did in the early church; the Church appears not to be solving their social problems.

The reason why it is not solving their social problem is simply because her leaders are not accountable to them.

A survey to examine what individuals that give to their church really think the church should do with the resources given will really help. It is the belief of the author that there is a great disparity between what church finances are used for and what those that give them think they should be used for.

Also, the over-monetization of “giving” can jeopardize the growth of other relatively low-cash requiring ministries that need the ordination and support of the local church to flourish (e.g. Prison Ministries, Education Services, Psychological Care, Elderly Care etc.). For these, the major requirement are individuals committed to the sacrificial giving of their time with little or no compensation.

In practice though; a truly representative council appointed by membership (to avoid sycophancy) should represent the view of the whole; and it is this representative council that should determine expenditure and regular reports made available to her membership. It is important to note that this is not different from what we expect of civil authorities and the Church of God ought to be the ground and pillar of truth; the absence of which reflects the truth that what we expect of civil authorities is a cultural shift of which the church must lead.

Can Church Members Be Trusted to Partake of the Budgetary Process?

The answer to this would depend on our perspective of who a believer is or who a believer should be? A body of believers or their chosen representatives are more than qualified to partake of budgetary processes and to make key decisions that pertain to the growth and flourishing of the body in keeping with the spirit of “I do not call you servants, for servants do not know what their masters do”.

Development of representative members full of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom is the call of the fivefold Ministry and their absence is an indictment and not an excuse for the lack of corporate governance.

Note

We live in a consumerist society; where costlier is better; new is good and the people of God have somehow fallen for this, as the rest of the world has. It is as if we have allowed the world to dictate our prayer points; our targets; at the end of the day, we have a money transfer where cash flows regularly from the Church to the world; rather than the other way around. It is so because the world is winning the culture war. Whoever dictates the culture, dictates the flow of resources. The distinction should have been easy and is still is easy – ideally, the Church’s focus is men (fishers of men), the world’s focus is things (fishers of fish).

The authors believe that this culture of consumerism is at the heart of most of the challenges of corporate governance; it breeds a cycle of neediness.

Lessons from Church History

When the Pope was selling indulgences to build Cathedrals (the House of the Lord); it is not exactly right that the house of the Lord was exactly what the people wanted or needed; they, the masses are the House of the Lord. We need to be so focused on building the people that we won’t know when the structures pop up under us.

So, in a nutshell, the absence of corporate governance at best reinforces the separation of clergy and laity; where laity give to clergy to do the work of God; whereas it shouldn’t be that way. The result is either dark ages or it is atheism. History has shown that leadership are not wholly without blame in scenarios of civil revolt; particularly when those revolts revolve around material resources.

Harmonizing the Two Works – Accountability

As seen with the early Church; the Apostles didn’t seek doctrinal validation from the people – though they sought it from one another, the Fivefold Ministry must have peer-review structures.

The social aspect of the work should be done very transparently and is the bulk of the work that requires money.

Money and the Work of God

In a nutshell, it behooves on leadership not to fall for the trappings of materialism (big structures) at the expense of the people. A well-engaged membership led by accountable leaders will give money; as much as is required to do the work of God; it is their work. Also, good leadership recognizes that the entire Church is the Body of Christ and not fall for the Lutheran dictum of “this is my body”; hence, the work of God is much beyond the congregation itself.

The result is partnership; in the correct sense, the membership is not partnering with the pastor; they are partnering with themselves to reach the world. The right approach to these matters provide the followership with a very good understanding of how life should be lived and this affects every other aspect of their lives. One of the factors that contribute to the apparent madness on our streets is because people simply do not see enough love in places of worship; they see God as a tool to get blessings and unfortunately the gospel of faith can be erroneously understood this way, simply because it was inadvertently taught that way.

We are not just people of faith; we are people of love; the posture of faith is redemption not cars or things.

A Church focused on reaching the world in love, focuses on developing her members to gain the spiritual and material resources to do that work effectively. It is at the center of the action happening in the society. To be able to do this effectively, resource (spiritual and physical) management and deployment is key.

How to Organize the Body

A lot is lost when church leadership is centered around only the teachers of the Word; there is more to the work than that; a lot more can be done when leadership supports other non-Word ministries to thrive and the accountable body throws resources at this kind of work.

Leadership should focus on supporting the Ministries of the Laymen; they should be taught to live Christ in their work and must not be made to think that they “give to God” only when they give to the Church; their 8am to 5pm every weekday is as sacred as their Sundays.

A local church, for example should start “Society for Girl-Child Education”; “Society for Artisanal Workers Development” etc. according to the needs and callings of her membership. These engagements should be seen as a powerful Ministry of the Word; it wasn’t just the words of Jesus that got people; it was more of His Acts. Miracles and Healings will happen when we unleash and support our people to do the work of God in such Societies.

It is important to note that it is such societies that brought Christianity to us in Africa and the much-needed social amenities.

On Motivation and Accountability for Gifts and Offerings

For speed, the points are enumerated.

1. Transparency should be instituted at all levels of leadership simply to be above board.
2. Remuneration for leadership should be reasonable and in compliance with “so that his heart be not exalted above his brethren”.
3. Leadership should intentionally be humble; there is great wisdom in that. Not because of lack of capacity but because of it.
4. Leadership should let the people contribute to decisions on how funds are deployed.
5. Regular reporting structures are part and parcel of corporate governance.

Examples of Accountability Structures

1. Leadership Councils; the use of a senate-like Council or board as the highest decision-making organ of an organisation is important in avoiding individual excesses, of which we are all vulnerable when left unchecked. This structure also protects the larger body from offence, as most times, issues that may offend are quickly resolved within the council. As seen with the Council of Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem, doctrinal matters form a key element of the functions of that council. Wisdom can also be gleaned from the Protestant reformation, which successfully enthroned the authority of Scriptures (rather than church traditions) as the principal source of truth; hence, the powers of the Council must derive from Scriptures alone, in keeping with the spirit of “we are not masters of your faith, but helpers of your joy”.
2. Budget/Budget Review Meetings – these are annual, semi-annual or quarterly meetings where the Church (all members) deliberate on what it wants to do with the resources of God committed to it, it should be noted that if Shareholders of earthly companies can make inputs on their budget at the annual general meetings and Government Executives seek budget approvals, leadership in the house of God should be much nobler. The people of the Lord, are holy.  The Holy Spirit, if we ask Him, can inform us what to focus on per quarter, or per annum. At the review meetings, the progress of the work is explained and discussed; with inputs made from membership. Note that since the Church’s focus is her membership; there is nothing (be it building projects, giving, etc.) that should be deemed too discreet for her; however, in certain cases, it might be best to limit participation to elected representatives.
3. Appointments: for the day-to-day operations; the people themselves should appoint leaders to represent them in these matters; these appointments should be reviewed regularly to avoid nepotism and sycophancy. It is important to note that these structures are fundamental pillars of the early Church; they were indeed essential pillars borne not out of tradition, but more from an understanding of the full counsel of God, of the nature of men and the whiles of the enemy.

Advantages of this Approach

• This will quell the current giving and tithing controversy in many quarters; believers should not just give their tithe and walk away (God wants the entirety of their lives); they should be part and parcel of His work. When people get involved with God’s work, they will give more than 10%.
• This will also create the right kind of citizens – the salt of the earth – the non-inclusiveness of followership in leadership is the major limit to Africa’s development and the prevailing Church governance structure in many quarters reinforces that; if Church leadership (the holiest) are accountable to their people, the people will force their earthly leaders to be accountable. Let thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

• Also, if Church leaders present a humble outlook in accordance with the Oracle of Kingship, it will catalyze the emergence of servant leadership with the hallmark that it utilizes the very little resources we have, to do much more. This is important because part of the biggest challenge of consumerism is that it wastes the opportunities and is in a perpetual cycle of neediness; from such, no prayers can save.

• A well run governance structure in church will impact positively on the society at large. History has taught that the most effective governance structures governments have adopted world over, originated from the church.

 Conclusion

A lot rises and falls on leadership; and in the Body of Christ, this responsibility becomes even more significant. We must all strive to get the noble commendation at the end of days. We can do so by taking heed to ourselves and to the flock that is committed to us.

The question of the deadness of God is one that had resonated well in literal circles in the not too distant past and in this text, I seek to outline points for and against these positions within the context of observed human realities. In other words, I refer to the attitude and whims of contemporary society with respect to this theme.

Note that the question does not say “is there a God?” rather it posits that He had actually existed but no longer does. Consider it from the perspective of an observer of contemporary society and religion; of our practices, value system and evolving culture.

Before we continue, please note that the deadness of God is not a logical posture because God is a necessary being by definition – He is the inventor of life and death; if He were to die, then He is not God to begin with. That said, there is still plenty to gain by considering this theme.

Note also that this consideration is not altogether new and had been well written about by serious minded scholars who had romanticised the concept, particularly the German philologist Friedrich Nietzsche, who is ascribed to having invented the term. Like in all matters that relate to our notion of God, there are very serious applications, so, eager your mind and read in between the lines.

Below is a reading from one of his writings –

The Gay Science, Section 125: The Madman

By

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: “I am looking for God! I am looking for God!”

As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances.

“Where has God gone?” he cried. “I shall tell you. We have killed him – you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God’s decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us – for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto.”

Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. “I have come too early,” he said then; “my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling – it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars – and yet they have done it themselves.”

It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: “what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?”

(1882)

My Commentary

Nietzsche was not regarded as a great author for nothing, though I do not agree with his conclusions and life, I do clearly see his perspective. Life could appear as if man had actually killed God, in fact, God made that kind of life possible. We can, as he wrote, drink up the sea, find sponges to wipe away the entire horizon and smell the putrefaction that result from our actions. The Madman was apt, the deed requires time even after they are done and could be more distant from us than the distant stars, though we have done it ourselves. Religious institutions could become the tombs and sepulchers of an ancient deity – like many are today, though still thronged by ardent worshippers.

Note also the conclusions of the madman – “What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us – for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto.”

The consequences of killing God are that we have to become more creative, to invent new games and brace up to be gods ourselves. Is it not striking that we now have more living legends, idols and stars? Even luxury objects like automobiles and games like soccer have ardent worshippers. The days are darker; hence, lamps need be lit in the day. Does it appear as if we are perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions?

Another Perspective

If it is true, as I believe it is, that God is the source of life and hence cannot be dead but could allow us live as if He is, does it not infer that it is us that are dead? In other words, a life lived with the notion of the deadness of God is not all-together unlivable but lived within the confines of our deadness. Now, this deadness does not preclude our capacity to enthrone ourselves as gods to replace the one we’ve “murdered”. It appears to me that this is the more likely situation and like we said earlier, all notions of God have practical applications.

For example, the author of the text above, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, spent the last eleven years of his 55 years as an insane person, this is not to say that his writings made him mad but that madness is a very good illustration of a state of consciousness where absolutes are abolished. Hitler’s Germany was built by men’s strong notions about God and reality and sought to impose those notions on all of us; they were not altogether unaided by Nietzsche’s philosophy. The United States of America was built by men who held a particular notion of God and today those notions are fast changing with obvious effects. The religious terrorism of our days is fuelled by man’s belief of God.

Hence, the challenges are multi-fold. For one, if you believe God is dead, then prepare to take His place and be ready for Him when He actually shows up. If you believe Him alive, then be prepared to prove it as well.

The Challenge for the Church

As a Christian, my perspective of society is not from the perspective of pity and it should not be; this was something that Nietzsche struggled with. He believed the church took a pitiful stance on the world, believed in her inherent evilness and repressed creativity and adventure. This perspective of religion is still rife today; young people are afraid that God will “dull” them.

To counter this, some churches have resorted to become more “alive” and have without knowing it become dead; in other words, become like the world too.

To me, the balance is to love the world. Now, to “love the world” is not to love contemporary culture and value system but to love creation itself. “…for God so loved the world”. Love is not pitiful, which is an apathetic posture; Love is more engagement driven. When we love people, we would condemn less and build up more without approving the wrong or killing them in the name of God. If we love science, we would be great scholars without denying God and invent new things – good ones. If we love the people of our nation; we would naturally be patriots.

I see no better life than this and it appears to me that God made it so that we could arrive at this position of love; for Him, our fellow men and for ourselves, without which we would always stumble.

Cheers.

Leaders are dealers in hope. They are not hope-dealers because they are more optimistic than the rest of the team but because they are less afraid – not unafraid – to follow their instincts. They smell out water and follow the chase, some have died before they found water but the ones we celebrate today are those who found their chase just before the last breadth.

Often times, their chase is not entirely rational especially at first, at least to the onlooker. It is not that leaders are entirely irrational but often operate with different hues of rationality. Much more than others, the leader is much more prone to cross-examine herself; as she is operating by a higher yardstick. The fears and criticisms of onlookers help her in this quest – to verify her persuasions, hence the necessity of these.

She is special, like the rest of us are and her task also is; so she thinks herself double so and with this, Heaven agrees.

Her failings force her to learn more, to study more and to engage the deliberate act of exposing herself to new ideas and people. She knows the drawings by heart but needs the information out here to help execute her blueprint. Between the actual execution and the learning curves are timelines – the price the leader must pay, the ability to survive this interval is a combination of the Grace of God and practical wisdom. Wisdom to prepare for the rainy day and the Grace of God when preparations fail – as they often do.

The leader is therefore spiritual – she hears things and most time has a great deal more faith in those things than in the observable. To kill her before time, one must first disconnect the vital link –this meditative heart, to fill it with noise and cares.

A leader knows that life is really a preparation for death – not a cessation from existence but a completion of the race of this particular phase of life. She lives not to survive it or to just exist because she knows she would always do (we all will keep existing), rather she lives to be ready for the finish line –to die. With her, God is really glad, for she has lived as she ought to.

For her journey, she must find wisdom and faith. This is written to remind him that both are within grasps, that though the errors of life be many, but with faith and wisdom, one can arrive ready –having done all that God had required of us. For some, that path might involve many failures but these kinds are akin to those of a child learning to walk. The one who stumbled trying – and all would, might have failed to stand but the wisdom is not in calm sitting but in the faith to try again.

“Why Not Suicide?”