The Popularity of a Flawed Leader

The Popularity of A Flawed Leader

Polls have shown that the majority of Americans believe that allegations that the President had an affair with Monica Lewinsky are true. The polls also show President Clinton's job approval rating to be at an all time high. What's going on here?

A commentator on the Christian Broadcasting Network suggested that this is the case because Americans care more for their personal comfort than morality, i.e. they are willing to overlook the President's immorality because he has helped bring about a strong economy which has made their lives more comfortable and secure.

No doubt this may be true for some, but I believe this explanation really misses what is going on. It is not that the American people have ceased to care about morality. They do care. It is just that they are not willing to judge Bill Clinton as a man and as a leader solely upon the basis of this one misdeed (or even pattern of sexual misdeeds, if other allegations are to be believed). They recognize that there is more to Bill Clinton than his flaws, as regrettable and reprehensible as they are if the allegations are true..

Andrew Blackwood took this broad view of another flawed leader:

But what about those sins that King David committed when he had passed middle age? At his best this man loved goodness, truth and honor. At his worst he departed from godliness as far as a mortal could go. Nevertheless, the main current of his life kept moving toward God and the advancement of the Kingdom. In like manner the Mississippi River broadens and deepens in its course toward the gulf. If in time of flood that mighty stream bursts its banks and carries destruction in its wake, still we think of the Mississippi as a force for good and not for evil. Without any attempt to condone David's sins, we can look on him as honored of God in preparing the way for the coming Redeemer. Let us keep our eyes on the main current of his career.

Indeed, we may derive comfort from the fact that God used and honored King David, the adulterer and murderer... If our Master required a perfect record before He would use and bless any of us in His service, who could qualify?

That latter view was echoed by a student interviewed by ABC News. She indicated that she had found hope in the whole Clinton-Lewinsky affair. She was encouraged to think that there was room for someone in politics that had flaws. That meant that even she could participate. I don't know about politics, but I do know the Bible. From its beginning to end we find stories of how God has used flawed human beings. This does give us hope. God can hit straight even with crooked sticks like you and me.

1998 C. David Hess