Biblical Leadership is Convictional Leadership - In Memory of Charlie Kirk - Part 1

Imagine with me that you’re hiking the Appalachian Mountains, following a trail guide as you weave the terrain while soaking in the sights. For the first hour or so, you’ve followed the beaten path that delineates a clear way ahead. Then, as time fades, so does the clarity of the direction you should go. Soon, the path lacks any form of lucidity, and you can’t tell if your next step will be one of regress or progress. But not to worry! Though you have entered terra incognita, your trail guide hasn’t. He knows the way, and though you haven’t explored the terrain, he has. Finally, you reach your destination, even when you spent a majority of the trip having no idea where exactly you were or what the next step should be. But that’s ok, your guide understood what he was doing and where he was going.

Similarly, people want to follow a leader who knows what he’s doing. They want to follow someone with a vision for success who can deliver that to them. When the fog of war starts drifting over the landscape, they want a leader who brings clarity, not confusion; determination, not vacillation; consistency, not double-mindedness. Because of the inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God rooted in God’s unchanging, perfect character, every believer can and should provide this kind of leadership.

But how can I make this claim? Because Jesus calls every Christian to have their leadership rooted in biblical convictions. For clarity, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “conviction” as “a strong persuasion or belief.” So, when Jesus calls Christians to follow Him, he calls them to establish convictions, or strong beliefs, that are rooted in Scripture. Think of 1 Peter 2:21, in which God calls us to follow the example of Christ, which we find in the Bible. Or we can meditate on Luke 9:23, where Christ says that if anyone will come after him, they must deny themselves, take up his cross, and follow him. These are but two verses in which Christ tells us to follow him, and our leadership opportunities are no exception. Ergo, we lead biblically when we lead with convictions rooted in the Person of Christ.

So, how does this idea play out practically? It plays out in every way, because we are to use all of Scripture to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). More specifically, we can teach our families, fellow church members, and the society at large convictional truths, including that God has made everyone as either male or female, and that’s not changing (Genesis 1), that marriage is always between one man and one woman for a lifetime (also Genesis 1), that all people (e.g., your spouse, coworkers, local politicians, pastor, etc.) have sinned against God and need the salvation He offers through Christ (John 14:6, Romans 3:23), and that truth is real, absolute, and knowable (John 8:32; 16:13, 2 Timothy 2:15), to name a few. Consequently, we as Christian leaders don’t have to try to determine the ever-changing winds of the culture’s likes and dislikes, but, rather, we can provide consistent, moral clarity for the glory of God and the good of others as we remain founded on the character and will of God as revealed in Scripture.

What does this convictional, biblical leadership have to do with Charlie Kirk? We can find inspiration from Charlie’s tireless efforts to lead others to Christ and to stand for the true, good, and beautiful. And why could he do that? Because many of his views were rooted in Scriptural convictions. Thus, with this in mind, I want to explore how Charlie’s views reflected biblical, convictional leadership in the home, the church, and the community. so that we as God’s people can find encouragement by one who has gone before us, leaving behind a legacy of convictional leadership for the glory of God. 

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