"An Awakening of Conservative Christians": Rick Santorum on Faith and Politics

January 10, 2012 by Timothy Dalrymple

Continued from Page 3

Jesus was a leader. He led not just by example, but through his deeds and teachings. While he did not govern, he certainly laid out rules for a just society and anticipated that these rules should be applied—and of course, if you have a society, there must be people who govern it. He called his disciples to go out and form a church. They were called to be leaders. They were called to organize and bring together the movement that became Christianity.

So I think Christ not only anticipated but appointed leaders who would have positions of authority. He gave authority to others, and gave clear directives on how people of authority (in the home or in public life) should behave. So I don't feel any contradiction between imitating Christ and exercising authority. The real issue is whether you handle that authority in a manner consistent with the gospels.

Editor's Note: Timothy Dalrymple primarily publishes interviews in his "Life in the Marketplace of Ideas" column. For more regular and original thoughts on faith, culture and politics, see his Philosophical Fragments blog.

Page: 4 of 4

1/10/2012 5:00:00 AM

Evangelical

Life in the Marketplace of Ideas

Campaign

Election

politics

Christianity

Evangelicalism

more at patheos

Dark Goddesses and Martyred Mothers

Emily Guenther

Kings are creepy and weird

Fred Clark

Starwood 2026 -- This Is Not A Review

Tom Swiss

INNER CIRCLE: Overcoming Evil with Good

Keith Giles

About Timothy Dalrymple

Timothy Dalrymple is the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Polymath Innovations, a strategic storytelling agency that advances the good with visionary organizations and brands. He leads a unique team of communicators from around North America and across the creative spectrum, serving mission-driven businesses and nonprofits who need a partner to amplify their voice and good works. Once a world-class gymnast whose career ended with a broken neck, Tim channeled his passions for faith and storytelling into his role as VP of Business Development for Patheos, helping to launch and grow the network into the world's largest religion website. He holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Tim blogs at Philosophical Fragments.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos