Lessons Forgotten

Another Paul, the Apostle, could teach our politicians a thing or two about leadership, says LORNA DUECK

By LORNA DUECK 

Friday, May 20, 2005 Page  A19  

   What is it that has brought our country to its knees? Not a natural disaster, but a crisis of the human heart: corruption, destructive competitiveness and cultural animosities, three sins thriving in public life, and it may be time to reconsider getting a little practical help from our spiritual heritage.
Our national approach to faith has been similar to the way we approach the royal visit: an elaborate exercise in respect and ceremony that reminds us we are offspring of the sovereign, but does little to change the way we live our lives. 
Don Schiemann was one of those who met the Queen at the RCMP Depot yesterday and knows better than most the great disconnect between human hearts and public policy. His son, Peter, was murdered at Mayerthorpe, and when the coffins were laid out before us, the Lutheran minister was among the clergy who comforted the country. As Canadians, we appreciate that at such tragedies, but within days of the funerals, he noted with regret that, when it came to public life, we didn't really want to hear what we needed to learn from the tragedy.
"We can say we need to make laws so four Mounties are never slaughtered again, but all we'll do there is control behaviour, and [there's] nothing wrong with that, but it is only the Gospel that will change people's hearts," said Mr. Schiemann.
While many of us Christians can relate to Mr. Schiemann's words, not everyone can imagine them being applied to our current political crisis. 
Yet historically such belief was seen as helpful to our leadership. The words inscribed over the doorway into Parliament come from the Bible. One passage reminds all who enter: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18)
We Christians believe God loves the human race and persistently injected our history with faith-inspired leaders who articulated a vision beyond human weaknesses and thus protected the public good. It was faith-inspired leaders who birthed our national health care, who created schools, who even adapted the architecture of Parliament to reflect God. They held on to a vision that far exceeded the ruckus of the day.
That's the lesson MP David Kilgour appears to practise. His recent actions seem bizarre when he jettisons off to try and champion the Sudan with his one vote, but it makes total sense when you consider his Christian vision shapes his political involvement.
Today, however, we are a nation that has described itself as post-Christian and time will only tell the consequences.
In a new book, Passionate Visionary: Leadership Lessons from the Apostle Paul, Queen's University professors Richard Ascough and Sandy Cotton wonder why we ignore insights from the world of faith for the challenges we face.
Their book would be great bedside reading for the Prime Minister and his ambitious new recruit Belinda Stronach. It's a helpful guide to understanding how the transmission of values shapes actions.
The authors point out that St. Paul passionately lived out the fundamental work of "dialogue with followers about what is really important to community life." At the core of what has brought about our recent political crisis are the Gomery inquiry discoveries of a crew of political followers that lacked honesty and integrity. Kickbacks are not of value to the Liberals, but somehow leadership did not pass that on, and one heart after another lacked the moral insight to say, "Hey, this is stealing, I'm out." Sad to admit that we've evolved to the place where such basic values have to be retaught, but it's time to get back on message about what's really important for the viability of community life.
As for the destructive competitiveness that is tearing the House of Commons apart, St. Paul had similar challenges facing the founding of Christianity. He chose to adopt an "obsession with harmony and civility in relationships," write Mr. Ascough and Ms. Cotton. He developed "process norms of mutual respect and compassion" to handle the "storming [which is] natural in the development of human connections."
Sure, everybody values being nice, but some of us excel at posturing and ambition. Given those realities, inner transformation of the ego requires spiritual tools. Our continued insistence on complete secularization in our public life threatens bankruptcy not only in character, but in resources to combat the "storming" of political process.
Individuals acting out their faith affect how people keep track of lunch receipts, and could have changed what's under way at the Commons hearings into lunches on the tab at Canada Post. When people have a vision that their life is about responding to a sovereign God, their actions are adjusted. This is not holier-than-thou stuff, just practical tools to protect our country from the ravages of sin.
Howls of protest and fear about morality policing and judgment will abound if this discussion ever gets onto the radar, and those of us with a passion for the Christian faith have to take the rap for that. Because it will be our job to introduce faith that affects activities in a way that models what the Apostle Paul did so well: respect for diversity. In my reading of the culture, few trust that we can actually do that, but I think these are new days where we need all our resources, even spiritual ones. If this dangerous decline in Ottawa is short-lived, it's just a matter of time before the sinful human heart finds another troubled path.

Lorna Dueck is the executive producer of Listen Up TV, a spiritual view on news and current events seen Sunday mornings on Global TV, CTS and NOW TV.