Dropping the Plumbline: Leadership in God

Dropping the Plumbline: Leadership in God’s Government

Bob Bergman | 2022

Abstract

America’s foundations are in disrepair primarily because the majority of individuals in this nation are not upholding the tenants in the Bible that are required for our communities, churches, and families to thrive in our Constitutional Republic. There has been a now-noticeable shift in how people see themselves and how they relate to the world around them. Traditionally Americans have derived their identities from primarily external sources such as their families, churches, schools, and the realities of the world around them. Over the past decades, there have been strong challenges to these traditional institutions that have allowed and even encouraged individuals to define themselves according to their inward desires. The effects are seen as anti-Christian morality has burst into the public square. Modern academics such as Carl Trueman have identified this phenomenon as “expressive individualism,” where the “true, inner self,” ungoverned by reality, biblical morality, or traditional values, can finally be expressed openly. This is the Progressive Agenda. Trueman and other academics give a pessimistic report on how we, the Church, are to roll back the tide of “expressive individualism.“ God, however, has not been surprised by these events, and His truth is always true. While Christians may be overwhelmed by the Progressive issues of today, the solution for His people has not changed; go to Him and His Word for answers. God has established by His Word an authority structure consisting of the Family, the Church, and the Nation (Community) that is undergirded by self-governed individuals who move through and influence all three structures. Within each authority structure, leaders are to love their followers with a sacrificial, Christlike love. In return, the followers choose to show honor and respect to their leaders. This is truth, and any other structure is counterfeit. The United States of America was established along these lines by wise and Godly men who were not perfect but endeavored to follow the teachings of Scripture as best they knew in the realities of their times. In modern times it is good to study the real, so the counterfeit can be quickly identified. This is how bank tellers are trained. It is fruitless to study every type of possible counterfeit bill, so they study the real, and anything different is counterfeit. Fortunately, once the counterfeit is identified, we can turn to the Master Builder for answers. God always knows how to straighten out the crooked structures; He drops the plumbline so all can see how it aligns with the Cornerstone, Jesus. Then, if leaders are able to hear His voice and be willing and obedient to do as He says, we can repair this country and continue to eat the good of this great land.

Keywords: republic, expressive individualism, morality, identity, constitution, America, self, leaders