Follow the Leader?

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen

You know the game, most of us played it when we were kids. Someone is selected to be the leader and everyone falls in behind for whatever journey happens. When it becomes hazardous, people follow at their own peril or wise up and drop out.

Many of us play variations on it later in life. There may be a persuasive leader in a clique or someone in authority at the workplace. Sometimes it is friends, or mayhaps jumping in on teh interwebs.

Follow the Leader, Wikimedia Commons / Doug Coldwell (CC BY-SA 4.0)

We easily see how professing atheists are control freaks, especially on social(ist) media. I have had several times when I posted on a biblical creation science topic, and a misotheist feels the need to disrupt things and hijack the discussion thread with demands for "proof" (mostly on a different subject altogether). There are Christians who think they are rising to the challenge and try to persuade the atheist that God exists or something similar, but it is usually a waste of time trying to reason with a bully. Also, it gives the atheists what they want emotionally.

Following someone's lead calls for discernment and a bit of introspection. Why are we following? In the song "I Just Wanna Know," Steve Taylor sang, "Folks play follow the leader / But who's the leader gonna obey?" Is the boss or team lead on an ego trip or being manipulative? (Don't disunderstand me, being a jerk doesn't remove their authority — just be sure the demands are not harmful to others or yourself.) Do you follow a political leader for good reasons even when you're realizing that it's a mistake?

Christians must be vigilant when listening to or reading material from teachers. We have to know Scripture and find quality guides, but always use discernment. As the Bible warns, there are wolves in sheep's clothing. There will be mistakes and things may be misspoken. If we saddle up and ride away over every little thing, we will be riding a mighty lonely trail. That is to say, don't let any little thing cause you to reject a good teacher. Keep it in balance

God gave us minds and expects us to use them. We need to Be careful of the leaders you follow and examine their motives — and our own.