Leadership

In her recent book, Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin focuses on the political genius of Abraham Lincoln. Goodwin notes that after Lincoln won the presidential election, he put his Republican rivals on his cabinet. This displayed two important facets of leadership. First, it showed that Lincoln was not afraid to surround himself with strong, intelligent, talented, and independent people. He was also not afraid to forgive those who had wronged him. These two qualities are surely commendable virtues in Christian leadership.

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J. Michael Shannon is professor of preaching at Cincinnati Bible College in Cincinnati, OH.