Star Power VS. God’s Power

Star Power VS. God’s Power
John R. Petrilli

Star power has one again taken America by surprise and the world by storm. America’s recently elected President was heralded as a “Savior” around the globe as he entered the White House. And this with no track record of any real legislative or governmental accomplishments to speak of; merely a well worn campaign stump speech theme of “Yes We Can!”

It troubles me that so many millions of people are so ready to entrust everything they have into the hands of someone whom they don’t know, and someone who has no real record of leadership. This is what the media is dubbing “star power”. The ability to draw people to oneself by sheer personal magnetism. While such a phenomenon is fitting for the make-believe world of Hollywood, its place in the real world of qualified, proven leadership is doubtful at best.

The road of human history is cluttered with many such men who rose quickly to a position of fame and power, only to pass off of the stage in equally rapid fashion. Why are we so prone to blindly follow such leaders? President Obama’s radically leftist fiscal and social policies should come as no surprise to anyone. Before being elected he was ranked by the non-partisan National Journal as the most liberal Senator in the country (based purely on senatorial voting records). Was anyone using their eyes and their minds when they entered the voting booths? Or were they blinded by the sheer star power of the man?

As far as I’m concerned, his slogan of “Change we can believe in” is rapidly turning into, “Change we don’t want, don’t need, and certainly can’t afford”. Commentators and economists on both sides of the aisle agree that his out-of-control spending has already placed us on an unsustainable pathway that will lead to total financial collapse.

Truly great leaders don’t rely on star power … they rely on God’s power. Their decisions are sometimes decidedly unpopular among their contemporaries. But years, perhaps decades down the road, their wisdom is proved to be right on target. D.L. Moody was one of America’s greatest spiritual leaders in the last two centuries. I had the wonderful privilege of visiting his birthplace in Northfield, MA, and standing at his gravesite. Etched into his headstone are these words from the apostle John:

“The man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17b

That is leading by God’s power. John preceded these words with a description of worldly, “star power” leadership:

“All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world; the world and its desires pass away.
1 John 2:16-17a

Charisma is a gift and there’s nothing wrong with having a magnetic personality, provided that the leader in question has the ability to lead by principle and precept. King David was one such leader. But star power alone is never a good bet when choosing a leader. Character and philosophy can only be determined by an individual’s past performance. If adequate evidence of such is unavailable, the prospective leader should be considered disqualified, as we have no real basis for determining who they are and where they’ll take us. In addition, where a prospective leader’s track record reveals a decided commitment to and preoccupation with positions that fly in the face of a society’s centrist majority, that candidate should be bypassed as well.

Our current administration is responsible not only for initiating and driving unsustainable spending programs, but also of playing God by dictating what medical professionals can and cannot believe when it comes to their conscience with regard to bedrock issues like the sanctity of life. This is change we can live without, an oppressive form of tyranny that will undermine the very freedoms our great land was founded upon. The existing American federal government is usurping God’s authority in unprecedented areas, and true patriots must resist all such incursions with everything within them.