In the annual Drumwright Family Lecture, Dr. Robert P. George and Sheikh Hamza Yusef gave a panel style dialogue mediated by Douglas Henry on the seemingly unstoppable sweeping of secularism that plagues western society, America specifically. The scholars have participated in the lecture once before, last year in Washington D.C. hosted by Baylor alongside Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. The three giants of Abrahamic Faith represent different walks of life, different yet related faiths, and different approaches as to making the world a more faithful place, however they displayed great friendship, mutual respect and admiration, and knowledge and enlightenment at a higher level than most human beings.
As spiritual leaders, the two scholars preached of the necessity of religion in our lives as Americans, and the reason secularist thoughts and tendencies damage us as servants of God. And from this service to God, the two went off in tangent on how one the greatest ways to serve God is to serve others. Such is indicative of servant leadership, derived from the concept that leaders have the duty of their people alone, their well-being, their prosperity, their betterment overall. The lecture also seemed to relate spirituality to the key concepts of authentic leadership, in that the point of leading is the same as that of submitting oneself to a life of faithfulness, truly believing in inspiring others to be better human beings. The Abrahamic faiths preach the concept of living for others, bettering oneself by bettering others. Giving them example of people who in God’s name and will do good, helping those who need it, being kind to all people without exception, putting other’s needs before your own, carrying oneself with cantor and supporting only what is just, and so on. A leader can partake in such things to display authenticity and sincerity in their demeanor, marking them as authentic leaders.
From this lecture, I took away the relationship between religion and leadership, not in that good leaders must preach a faith, but that they must display hope and belief in a faith, and adhere to the moral code and standing required of them. The repute of these scholars, of faith and government and history and human mind and heart, gained them the respect of the world, of people of various faiths and cultures and backgrounds; but their intellect and eloquence of speech was not the only contributor to their standing, their leadership aided as well. Lord Rabbi Sacks, although not in this years lecture, is a member of the House of Parliament in Britain, Sheikh Hamza Yusef is a founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, and Dr. Robert George the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Their authentic personalities and just causes, as well as their devotion to people and faith, give them the image of great leaders, although non-traditional.
From these men and their panel lecture I take away the importance to keep faith in my mind at all times as a leader, to never let the tasks as a leader stray me from the rules God has set in place, and to remember to include God’s will in my actions. In doing so, the respect and attention given will increase, in displaying the passion and purpose for leadership I possess. Also, it reminds me to encourage faith in followers, so that they may find their passion and reason.