Do we need strong leaders… or do we actually need God?

I reached the conclusion that no party, but a single man could save Germany. This opinion was shared by others, for when the cornerstone of a monument was laid in my home town, the following lines were inscribed on it: “Descendants who read these words, know ye that we eagerly await the coming of the man whose strong hand may restore order.”

Abel (1938/1986, p. 151, emphasis added)

The quote above was written by a Nazi high-school teacher in 1930’s Germany. The ‘strong hand’ suggests the hand of a ‘strong leader’ who comes to redeem us from downfall, who sets things right, and restores order; even when that leader is willing to use power in ways that challenge sacred values. Of course, we know that this need for a ‘strong leader’ later came to be embodied in the person of Adolf Hitler, ushering in one of the darkest eras this world has ever seen. This is not a one-off incident. A recent study (2019) in the journal Psychological Science by Stefanie Sprong and 41 colleagues from all over the world confirms that, indeed, the perceived need for this type of a ‘strong leader’ is especially strong in times of economic and societal crisis, where there is a perception that society is breaking down (known as ‘anomie’ [literally: lawlessness] in Durkheim’s terminology). Echoing this phenomenon, the authors quoted an 2018 Ipsos questionnaire which asked respondents from 25 countries the question: “to fix [country], we need a strong leader willing to break the rules”; 52 % agreed with the statement to at least some degree, and only 21% of the respondents disagreed. This is concerning.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about what makes for a ‘strong’ leader. While ‘strong leadership’ is sometimes used as a shorthand for ‘good’ leadership in the broadest possible sense (see the other two blogs for this podcast), the Cambridge dictionary defines it as “a ruler with unlimited power, or someone who demands that people completely obey them”. Echoing this, researchers such as Sprong et al. (2019, p. 1626) define a strong leader as “someone who aims to overcome difficulties faced by a group or society by any means”. Despite this, the scientific evidence against authoritarian styles of leadership is overwhelming. Birgit Schyns and colleagues’ (2013) meta-analysis in The Leadership Quarterly shows how it leads to the crumbling of just procedures, increased unethical behavior of followers, reduced performance, enhanced stress, and reduced commitment and satisfaction of everyone involved.

Why then do we will fall prey to ‘strong’ leaders? Perceived crumbling down of society and lawlessness (anomie) is one factor, the other is the fact that ‘strong’ (authoritarian) leaders are not tyrants at first; they promise morally laudable things (e.g., restoring order), and only turn out toxic and destructive until after their power base is already secured. But most surprisingly, many studies in both Political Science and Psychology assume that authoritarianism actually resides not only in the leader, but firstly in the minds of followers, who in their great need of redemption become willing surrender all power to a leader figure, irrespective of the human costs involved. Duckitt (2022), for instance, defines authoritarianism as “a morally absolutist and intolerant desire for the coercive imposition of particular beliefs, values, way of life, and form of social organization on individuals irrespective of their wishes and of any human costs involved.”

Why then do we will fall prey to ‘strong’ leaders? Perceived crumbling down of society and lawlessness (anomie) is one factor, the other is the fact that ‘strong’ (authoritarian) leaders are not tyrants at first;

Yet, in defense of the follower, this follower-based definition of authoritarianism signals the fact that our tendency to fall prey to authoritarian leaders is actually rooted in a spiritual need, namely our inner need for ultimate hope, for an all-powerful, saving hand of a divine figure, a need for true healing and safety. It is actually our inner voice (from within the eternity laid in our hearts) that has a crying a need for God. In the German philosopher Heidegger’s words: “Nur ein Gott kann uns retten ” (Only a God can save us). Heideggers was quite clear that in times of anomie (crumbling down, lawlessness), man can then turn either to authoritarian leaders as surrogate gods, or to the One True Living God.

Is there hope in a self-made world without a God? As discussed in the prior podcast, as secularized society we have forgotten about God and the sacred things, and have convinced ourselves that humans can and must solve all of their problems by themselves. Many have come believe in a self-made-world where humans learn to morally improve themselves and things are getting better and better because of science and moral progress (e.g., Francis Fukuyama’s The end of history). It is view of the world where humanity itself must save humanity (e.g., implicit in the catch phrase: ‘There is no planet B’).

This is, however, an arrogant and naïve view of human strength. The view of humans as the gods of their own world is beginning to show its limits in the latest years (see IPCC reports ). Philosophers of culture have recently labeled the discourse around the state of climate change as a ‘secular apocalypse’, a gloomy last days picture for the world where God is completely left out of the equation. (Leonardo DiCaprio’s satire movie “Don’t look up” is an example of this genre). It is gloomy vision of a world beyond its tipping point and beyond its carrying capacity, which is generally adopted by Extinction Rebellion and other climate activism groups who have an almost religious adherence to the secular apocalypse discourse. And indeed, when you read scientists reports in the IPCC and other publications, the world is indeed very close, or has already surpassed her carrying capacity due to pollution and over-consumption. On top of that, many students and young professionals feel sense of existential threat from the recent upsurge of wars, hunger, economic instability, extreme weather, and unprecedented natural disasters. Long story short, in a self-made world left to its own devices, we see a sense of anomie (crumbling down of society, lawlessness) all around us. This all transpires in a crying need for the strong hand of a charismatic leader who restores order and basically save humanity from downfall. But that is only false (and naïve and arrogant) hope and makes us fall prey to tyrants.

Philosophers of culture have recently labeled the discourse around the state of climate change as a ‘secular apocalypse’, a gloomy last days picture for the world where God is completely left out of the equation.

Yet, there is also real hope! Apocalypse is not made up by Hollywood; it is a Biblical term. The term apocalypse is factually a spiritual term which carries a great deal of inherent hope: it means (in Greek) an ‘unveiling’. False, human leaders are unmasked (humans can’t existentially save humans). Apocalypse factually means that the one and only true Living God, the King of Kings (the Lord Jesus) is showing Himself to all flesh on earth. His coming will be undeniable such that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He the Lord. He is right on our doorstep. His throne is coming to this earth to rule it as it is ruled in heaven, with righteousness and justice. But before that happens, the Bible teaches us things must first become worse, to wake us up, and so that men come to a binary choice: will you obey false hope of strong leaders or will you serve the one true living God? If you read the Bible on what transpires what is known as “the last days” (e.g., Matthew 24; Marc 13; Luke 21), none of these events and birth pangs need to come as a surprise. These passages talk about a chilling of love in the hearts of men, wars and rumors of wars, earth quakes, hunger, pandemics, and many false saviors that will stand up. These are the beginnings of birth pangs before His coming. It says: If you see these things, don’t be afraid, these things must happen, but look up, for your salvation is near, right at the door.

In fact, more than 3000 years ago, Isaiah (24: 1, 4-6) prophesied how the real, spiritual apocalypse would come hand in hand with a sustainability crisis (!). Read, for instance Isaiah 24: 3-5, 20. The earth is emptied, plundered …. Earth is withering and in a state of decay, it is polluted by her inhabitants, they have disobeyed God’s laws, violated the statutes, and traded in the eternal covenant with God.” This passage, which is unequivocally regarded as an ‘apocalyptic genre’ by Bible scholars, shows that the reason that nature is in a state of decay, is because of our sin. It is therefore a spiritual problem, which is not solved by human corrective climate (e.g., fossil fuel reduction) measures. A passage in the New Testament (Romans 8: 22-23) is even more explicit about this: “To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure decay and empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin.” Further, Isaiah 24-27 is a unit. It is like a narrative structure that goes in spirals, and leads to one center point of the three chapters. This center point is chapter 25 verses 6-9. This passage details the apocalypse (i.e., unveiling) when it says: “He shall destroy the veil that covered the nations” while “death is swollen up in victory”. This is the real hope. So the apocalypse (unveiling of Jesus as the true King) is the center point to which all the birth pangs and anomie in this current world is headed. This is why Psalm 46 says: “The lord is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore I shall not fear any deterioration of a state of affairs on this earth”

What to do? Get right with God! The Bible offers real hope when we seek to get right with God. In Psalm 2, it is written: “Happy are those who take refuge in Him”. How do you I refuge with Him? Pass under His scepter: accept Him as your King, enter through the gate, which is Jesus Himself. Pray to Him, repent of your sins, confess with your mouth your faith in Him as the son God, ask Him to forgive you and accept that through His work on the cross you are completely forgiven of your sins, make a commitment to follow Jesus with all that is in you. THEN you can be truly saved, healed, restored. And not only you, also your land, and the earth. Elsewhere (2 Chronicles 7: 14) God says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” In this way, freed from the yoke of sin, nature below our feet can also be freed from her bondage to decay. Getting right with God, therefore, is the indispensable solution to a better planet.

What to do? Get right with God! The Bible offers real hope when we seek to get right with God. In Psalm 2, it is written: “Happy are those who take refuge in Him”.

So if you have passed under the safety of His scepter, and are committed to God, what then is a truly strong leader? Isaiah 56: 9-12 is suggestive of a type of leadership that is both strong and spiritual. It involves three key leadership functions embodied by (1) the watchman, (2) the shepherd, and (3) the priest / prophet. All of us at the most basic level seek protection from outside threat, to be seen and cared for regarding our internal needs, and hear from God / see in the God realm. Authoritarian leaders often promise the first element (safety), but underdeliver on the second and third element. The truly ‘strong’ spiritual leader, however, recognizes the fact that followers want to be both safe and seen, and is him/herself led by the Spirit of God. It is a type of leadership that recognizes that true safety and nurturing comes from the Good Shepherd, who is the Lord Jesus.