What would you say to a nation's leader who informed the citizenry that he had decided to become the citizen of another country? Even if the nation he chose for his dual citizenship was a friendly nation, an ally, would it not stick in the craw of many in his homeland to learn of his decision? And would those in the land of his nativity be unreasonable for wondering why he did not wait until his term of office had expired before dividing his national loyalties? After all, no two nations are perfectly aligned insofar as goals and objectives are concerned. At the very least such a national leader would be thought by most of his countrymen to be unethical. It is unethical to openly and publicly divide one's loyalties while presiding over a country as its leader. Who would disagree with that?
Along the same line of thinking, what has gotten into spiritual leaders who assume responsibility as the leader of an organization only to then divide their loyalties to that organization by affiliating with another organization while they are still leading the first organization? Have I lost my mind for thinking that engaging in such rash behavior while one is leading an organization is at the very least unethical? Yet it has happened twice during my ministry lifetime that a president has demonstrated that he is ethically challenged by dividing his loyalties while in office!
"Who are you to call into question a man's ethics?" Who am I? I am a nobody, and no longer affiliated with any organizations other than the wonderful congregation I serve as pastor (and the Chamber of Commerce of my little city Monrovia, CA). However, I have been around long enough to derisively laugh about a Bible college teacher teaching a course on pastoral ethics without even touching the matter of sheep stealing and in other ways enlarging one congregation at the expense of another, while he energetically sought for his congregation the members of other Churches. Huge Churches in the United States are built on that unethical practice. Growing Bible colleges implicitly teach that philosophy by not warning against it as a ministerial practice and by holding up for adoration pastors and ministries that do not know how to grow otherwise.
But let's not stray too far from the unethical leadership of presidents, be they presidents of countries, presidents of colleges, presidents of other entities, or presidents of navel lint societies. If a man is the president of the green linen society, so chosen by green linen merchants everywhere, you would think he could wait at least until his term of office as green linen society president has expired before joining (while maintaining his membership in the green linen society, mind you) the purple canvas cooperative. If a man is a member of the green linen society he can do anything he wants in a free society. However, it strikes me that since the green linen society and the purple canvas cooperative are two different textile organizations their short and long term objectives are not exactly the same. Not a big deal at all for an ordinary member of the green linen society to join the purple canvas cooperative. But while he is president? Is the matter so pressing that he can't wait until his term of office is expired?
I don't know everything. I have never claimed to know everything. However, it strikes me as a denigration of the green linen society to join the purple canvas cooperative while still the former's president. Methinks we are becoming ethically challenged in these last days. I just can't imagine the big boys back in the old days doing that, at least not until their term of office had expired.
Along the same line of thinking, what has gotten into spiritual leaders who assume responsibility as the leader of an organization only to then divide their loyalties to that organization by affiliating with another organization while they are still leading the first organization? Have I lost my mind for thinking that engaging in such rash behavior while one is leading an organization is at the very least unethical? Yet it has happened twice during my ministry lifetime that a president has demonstrated that he is ethically challenged by dividing his loyalties while in office!
"Who are you to call into question a man's ethics?" Who am I? I am a nobody, and no longer affiliated with any organizations other than the wonderful congregation I serve as pastor (and the Chamber of Commerce of my little city Monrovia, CA). However, I have been around long enough to derisively laugh about a Bible college teacher teaching a course on pastoral ethics without even touching the matter of sheep stealing and in other ways enlarging one congregation at the expense of another, while he energetically sought for his congregation the members of other Churches. Huge Churches in the United States are built on that unethical practice. Growing Bible colleges implicitly teach that philosophy by not warning against it as a ministerial practice and by holding up for adoration pastors and ministries that do not know how to grow otherwise.
But let's not stray too far from the unethical leadership of presidents, be they presidents of countries, presidents of colleges, presidents of other entities, or presidents of navel lint societies. If a man is the president of the green linen society, so chosen by green linen merchants everywhere, you would think he could wait at least until his term of office as green linen society president has expired before joining (while maintaining his membership in the green linen society, mind you) the purple canvas cooperative. If a man is a member of the green linen society he can do anything he wants in a free society. However, it strikes me that since the green linen society and the purple canvas cooperative are two different textile organizations their short and long term objectives are not exactly the same. Not a big deal at all for an ordinary member of the green linen society to join the purple canvas cooperative. But while he is president? Is the matter so pressing that he can't wait until his term of office is expired?
I don't know everything. I have never claimed to know everything. However, it strikes me as a denigration of the green linen society to join the purple canvas cooperative while still the former's president. Methinks we are becoming ethically challenged in these last days. I just can't imagine the big boys back in the old days doing that, at least not until their term of office had expired.
