Western secular theories and muted Christian approaches to leadership in Africa

Abstract

Westerse sekulêre teorieë en beperkte Christelike benaderings van leierskap in Afrika

In baie lande ondervind mense vandag ernstige probleme met hulleleiers. Soos wat uit die twee vorige bydraes in hierdie tydskrif geblyk het, val die fokus in hierdie reeks veral op die leierskapskrisis in Afrika en meer spesifiek op wat die moontlike lewensbeskoulike redes daarvoor kan wees. In die vorige bydrae is reeds die invloede van die tradisionele lewensvisie van Afrika ondersoek.
Die huidige artikel ondersoek eerstens hoe Westerse sekulêre teorieë ook leierskap op ons eie kontinent beïnvloed. Hierdie teorieë en praktyke is dikwels reduksionisties en pragmatisties en toon ? dualisme tussen feite en waardes, sodat hulle nie ? duidelike normatiewe koers kan aandui nie.
Tweedens word die aandag gevestig op die moontlike invloed van verskillende dualistiese of afgewaterde en nie-integrale vorme van Christelike lewensvisies, beginnende by die Westerse Christelike sendingbewegings van die verlede en daarna hedendaagse vorme soos die “Gospel of Health and Wealth” wat tans in Afrika veld wen. Hulle mag ? rede wees waarom die Christelike geloof, ten spyte van sy fenomenale groei in Afrika, so ? geringe impak buite die talle kerke, insluitende
leierskap het. ? Groot behoefte bestaan aan ? integrale en omvattende Christelike lewensbeskouing en samelewingsfilosofie wat leiers in staat sou stel om ook buite hulle kerke in die samelewing betrokke te wees.
In die derde plek word aandag gevra vir die feit dat verskeie Christenskrywers uit Afrika tog die Bybel as ? gids vir gesonde leierskap gebruik deur gebruik te maak van tekste, konsepte, metafore of figure uit die Skrif. Sekere leemtes in sulke benaderings word egter aangetoon. Daarom sal die vierde en laaste artikel in hierdie reeks handel oor die struktuur van en rigting vir goeie leierskap vanuit ? integrale Bybelsbegronde lewensvisie.

In many countries today people are experiencing serious problems with their leaders. As was done in two previous articles in this journal (cf. Van der Walt, 2019a, 2019b), the focus here is on the leadership crisis in mainly the West, looking for its causes in different worldviewish presuppositions. It follows on the above-mentioned second article about the possible influence of the traditional African worldview and culture as well as Western colonialism on leadership.
The present contribution firstly investigates how Western secular theories may influence leadership on the continent. These secular theories and practices, which developed through different phases and paradigms, are often of a reductionist and pragmatist nature and plagued by a dualism between fact and value, thus lacking clear normative direction for good leadership.
Secondly, an analysis of different muted dualist and thus reduced forms of Christianity follows, starting with the missionary Christianity of the past, moving toward present types, like the Prosperity Gospel (of Health and Wealth), spreading like wild fire on the continent. The question is asked why the Christian faith, in spite of its phenomenal numerical growth on the continent has so little impact outside the churches, including leadership. The need is clearly felt for an integral and comprehensive Christian worldview and Christian public philosophy, enabling leaders’ involvement also outside their churches in every area of life.
The third main section asks attention for the fact that many Christian writers still employ Scripture as a guide toward sound leadership by using Bible texts, biblical concepts or metaphors and leading figures from the Word of God. Since these efforts, in spite of their value, contain some weaknesses, the concluding contribution in this series (cf. Van der Walt, 2019c) will be devoted to an analysis of the structure and direction of leadership from an integral biblically-grounded worldview.