Moral Leadership for a Divided Age: Fourteen People Who Dared to Change Our World by David P. Gushee

Moral Leadership for a Divided Age: Fourteen People Who Dared to Change Our World Reviews

• 
  Conrade Yap

  What is moral leadership? Why is it so needed today? Some books tackle the above with a list of best leadership practices or some leadership attributes. Others deal with the leaders in terms of what they do and how they do it. For David Gushee and Colin Holtz, it is about examining the lives of notable leaders, specifically, 14 persons who displays leadership that unite followers toward a common goal. They invite people to join with them in pursuing a common cause. They have moral impact, moral character, and moral purpose in what they do. The test of moral leadership is when the leaders leave, they leave the world in a better shape than before. In fact, for the authors, moral leadership is a far better way to learn ethics than ethical studies per se. This is because it encompasses both theory and practice; concepts and applications; ideas and practicality. Moral leadership is more essential because the world:
  is increasingly dominated by people moving toward radical extremes
  is dominated by people trying to make their culture or cultural stance superior to others
  the world is increasingly being torn apart, divided.
  
  Here is where moral leaders step in. They build bridges. They understand without needing to compromise their stand. They are respectful of others different from them. When we study moral leaders, we can learn from their way of thinking, appreciate the complexity of their contexts, and be inspired to do the same for our own situations. Gushee gives us a ten-point framework on how to study and apply the lessons to our lives.
  Examine the historical contexts of the moral examples and learn to examine our own contexts
  Study the leader's personal background and be honest with our own
  Look at the leader's vocation
  Explore professional trajectory
  Consider character qualities
  Examine their family choices and intimate relationships
  Study their social relationships and community affiliations
  Consider criticism, conflict, and failure
  Practice respectful engagement
  Make the personal turn.
  By combing through 14 leaders, we learn of many important lessons about moral leadership. William Wilberforce shows us that many moral struggles are tough and takes time to resolve. Abraham Lincoln shows us how to respond to criticisms. Florence Nightingale refuses to let Victorian-era restrictions prevent her from great achievements. The heroism of Harriet Tubman tells us to keep going in spite of obstacles. Ida Wells-Barnett lives a life of fearlessness in pursuing justice in spite of being discriminated against because of her skin colour. Gandhi renounces self desire and persevere against all odds. Dietrich Bonhoeffer lives what he writes and writes what he lives. Mother Teresa is able to live among the poor knowing that life is sacred. Oscar Romero was murdered for his work for social justice and teaches us the importance of communications and listening skills. John Paul II combines intellectualism with spirituality and applies both in his concern for human life. Elie Wiesel's life demonstrates that "memory matters" which is highly important for us living in a world where we are easily forgetful. Dr Martin Luther King Jr shows us that the cause is bigger than any one person. Malala Yousafzai tells of the importance of family and young people. Apart from just examining their lives, readers get to take home lots of lessons to apply and to learn from. At the end of the book, we are challenged with five compelling questions.
  Moral leader vs Moral examplar?
  Solidarity vs Liberation?
  Can we disentangle leaders from their historical contexts?
  Has our human bias clouded our vision?
  What about the use of violence?
  Three Thoughts
  First, in terms of value for money, this book is a 14-in-1 biography of the moral lessons to learn from each of the famous individual. Each chapter contains a timeline of major events, a brief introduction to the character, historical context, vocation, discussion questions, and resources for further reading. Though the life has been highly summarized with only the main events mentioned, it gives readers a gist of who the person is and what we can learn from.
  
  Second, though different characters teach us different lessons, there are multiple commonalities in terms of passion, justice, mercy, personal integrity, and the power of communicating the cause. All of them face persecutions and hardship but not all were martyred for their belief. All of them believe in a cause but not all are Christians. All live through in different contexts and an interesting thought would be whether they would have behaved any differently in another different context? Like what would John Paul II have done if he was in Bonhoeffer's predicament during WWII? Fair to say, they might not have done the same thing and they might have done might not even be remembered in history.
  
  Third, I want to put in a more cautionary note. While we need more moral examples today, we also need to be careful not to over-sensationalize these 14 persons who were able to rise above the challenges of their time. They all had flaws. Mother Teresa dealt with depression. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his role to assassinate Hitler arguably were intentionally planning to break the sixth commandment, which is breaking the biblical moral code. Mohandas Gandhi's method of non-violent resistance may not necessarily work in other situations. Imagine if he was to stand up against a harsh Pol Pot regime. He might have been terminated without anyone knowing about it. They are all human so let us not supercharge them more than necessary. Sometimes, when I see all the famous names mentioned, I am reminded of Hebrews 11:35 list of heroes, many of whom were invisible to the world, who died without anyone noticing. None of them even have a footnote on any published material.
  
  In summary, with rising secularism and amoral philosophies, this world does not seem to be getting better morally speaking. In fact, we need more moral heroes instead of super-heroes. We need more human realities instead of superhuman fiction. Gushee and Holtz have done us a favour in introducing positive roles models who inspire instead of fictional characters who mainly entertain
  
  Dr David Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics (McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University) and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life. As one of the world's leading ethicists, he has published widely and is heavily involved in social justice, humanitarian work, and actively promotes peace. He lies in NE Atlanta with his wife Jeanie and regal cat Noah.
  
  Colin Holtz is writer and strategist at the intersection of church and world. He writes regularly in the Guardian and HuffPost.
  
  Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.
  
  conrade
  This book has been provided courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
• 
  David Cook

  We can't help but be inspired by great leaders--those who led lives of moral purpose and in some way left the world a different and better place. In the midst of our increasingly divided age, examining great moral leaders can help us understand the central qualities of moral leadership and discover lessons for our own lives and times.
  
  This book explores the lives of fourteen great moral leaders:
  
  1. William Wilberforce 1759-1833
  2. Abraham Lincoln 1809-65
  3. Florence Nightingale 1820-1910
  4. Harriet Tubman 1822?-1913
  5. Ida B. Wells-Barnett 1862-1931
  6. Mohandas Gandhi 1869-1948
  7. Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-45
  8. Mother Teresa 1910-97
  9. Oscar Romero 1917-80
  10. Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
  11. John Paul II 1920-2005
  12. Elie Wiesel 1928-2016
  13. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-68
  14. Malala Yousafzai 1997-
  
  It is written more as a study guide for group discussion than a detailed bio of the subjects.
  I have read biographies of most of the subjects and so there was not much new material for me.
  What I did find particularly interesting and thoughtful was the to reconcile the tremendous contributions of the subjects along with character flaws and moral failings that most exhibited in their lives.
  
  Incorporating skillful storytelling, short biographies, and analyses, the book presents these exemplary moral leaders as human beings who are flawed in some ways, gifted in others, but unforgettable all the same. In today's society were are all to quick to condemn errors and flaws in both public and private persons we are too quick to reject the good done by flawed human beings and these subjects highlight the danger in doing so.
• 
  Robert D. Cornwall

  We live at a time when many of our leaders, including the President of the United States are not known for their moral leadership. People are becoming increasingly skeptical about our human institutions from churches to the government. How might we turn the corner and engage the world in ways that are transformitive? Who will lead us?
  
  David Gushee and Colin Holtz have concluded that one important way of moving forward in making the world a better place is to look at people who have demonstrated moral leadership. In fact, David Gushee has been teaching a class focused on this very topic for many years. He is joined by Col Holtz who is a strategist focusing on the intersection of church and world. Together they have chosen fourteen lives to study and offer to us as not only moral exemplars, but as individuals who demonstrated in their lives moral leadership.
  
  Leaders come in many forms, not all of which leads to good outcomes. Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin were leaders, but they certainly were not moral leaders. Leaders, Gushee and Holtz tell us, unite people around a common purpose or cause. Again, not all causes are good causes. The leaders selected to highlight here exhibit three things: moral impact, moral character, and moral purpose. Because moral leadership is not always easy to define, exploring the lives of moral leaders may be a more productive way forward. As one discovers in the course of the book, these leaders are not without their faults. Many of them found it difficult to maintain family life (while some simply chose to forgo family). Some had a dark side they struggled with. Thus, we turn to the stories of lives lived in the pursuit of moral visions, for as the authors note, "we grow not by memorizing principles by by hearing stories. We imagine ourselves in circumstances and ask how we would respond" (p. 9).
  
  The fourteen people chosen to highlight in this book begin with William Wilberforce, an English politician and evangelical Anglican who in the late 18th and early 19th century almost single handily pursued the cause of abolishing the slave trade, and moving forward in time to Malala Yousafzai, a still young Muslim woman from Pakistan who was nearly killed because of her unyielding advocacy for educating women. Most of the figures are Christian, but there is a Muslim (Malala Yousafzai), a Jew (Elie Wiesel), and a Hindu (Mohandas Gandhi, along with at least one skeptic (Abraham Lincoln). There are politicians and religious leaders, as well as people like Florence Nightingale, who elevated the cause of nursing and Harriet Tubman, who pursued the cause of abolition. There are three recently named saints -- Oscar Romero, John Paul II, and Mother Teresa. There is an opponent of lynching in Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and one who resisted Hitler (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) and one who resisted apartheid (Nelson Mandela). Both Bonhoeffer and Mandela were imprisoned, though Bonhoeffer was hanged, while Mandela became the founding figure and first president of post-apartheid South Africa.
  
  Gushee and Holtz introduce us to each figure, providing historical context, telling us something of the early and private life of each person, noting their vocation, pointing out their legacy and criticism offered of each (noting that these are human beings), finally, before offering a few discussion questions, they point out the leadership lessons exhibited by each figure. Each of these components builds off the prior element, so that one can see how the life of each person led to their becoming a moral leader, and why that leadership might inform our own time and place.
  
  This is a compelling book, perhaps due in large part to the compelling nature of each story. Many of these figures are well known to many, people like Lincoln and Gandhi, but there maybe parts of their lives that are unknown to us. We may learn that some leaders, like Gandhi, have a dark side that we never new of before, raising the question of whether the good outweighs the bad. The reader must decide if one or another figure is the most helpful witness to the move toward moral leadership.
  
  Having made David Gushee's acquaintance in recent years and having read and reviewed most of his recent books, I have developed a high respect for him and his work. This book is another of those excellent books worth taking time to read. Because this book uses stories of figures, most of who no longer live, as touch points for our conversation, it is perhaps a better read for more people. Again, as the authors note, we learn ethics best by hearing stories. While the intended audience is probably primarily Christian, the authors have not limited their subjects to Christians. That is a good thing!
• 
  Kevin

  I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. Moral Leadership for a Divided Age may be one of the most important books I have ever read. Through an intensive and thorough study of fourteen individuals from the last two centuries, we are asked to examine our thoughts on heroism, sacrifice, and morality. Both the authors are Christians, but I don't think that should stop anyone from reading this book. It has insights that would be beneficial to anyone who reads it. I loved it so much that I am definitely form a book club/study around it at my church this coming summer or fall.
• 
  Natalia

  A very interesting read. In my opinion, few of the people shouldn't be included in this book, but like I said, it's just my opinion. I would recommend it for people who would like to learn about some of the most amazing leaders who dedicated their whole lives to making the world a better place. The biographies are short but pack a punch.
• 
  Steve Callahan

  Excellent read and discussion of 14 moral leaders from Wilberforce to Malala. I like that the end of each chapter brings up possible criticisms, has a list of questions about what was read and leads the reader to question, learn and decide shat the personal ramifications are for our future behavior and life.
• 
  Dona

  Interest read of the 14 people listed in the book. Found how they look at each person & how the fit into the moral leadership frame they formed. Print was small & hard to read type.
• 
  Brian J. Shoopman

  3.5 Stars.
• 
  Nick B

  Informative and accessible. Critique of individuals' moral successes and failings is often reductionistic.
• 
  Denise Pearson

  We read this book for our adult Sunday School class—one chapter/moral leader each week. Discussion questions included. Inspiring!
• 
  Sarah Elizabeth

  If I could give a book 0 stars I would. This book isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.