Contents
Analysis …………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Luther…………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Bonhoeffer……………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Calvin…………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Edwards…………………………………………………………………………………... 3
Carey……………………………………………………………………………………... 3
Judson……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………………. 6
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1
Analysis
Luther
When considering how the theology of different leaders throughout history impacted
their leadership, no Christian leader comes to mind more readily than Martin Luther. Most
widely known for setting off the theological revolution known as the Protestant Reformation,
Luther was a man who was deeply devoted to his faith. For Luther, this faith was bigger than just
the Protestant Reformation, which still had a very uncertain future at the time of Luther’s death.1
Luther’s own theology of the cross, rooted in a firm value for humility as a key to godliness, can
be seen all throughout his life and leadership.2 One standout example is how Luther was widely
known for his inclusion of others in his daily life. Rather than isolating and elevating himself,
Luther plunged headfirst into the messiness of human relationships, even spending a large
portion of some of the last weeks of his life trying to help settle disputes between his family and
friends and local counts.3 Little did he know that one day his example and devotion to the Lord
would help lead to lasting world-wide change in the Christian church.
Bonhoeffer
Another German leader that has had a world-wide influence in Christian history is
Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Known primarily for his brave resistance to the Nazi regime and,
ultimately, his martyrdom within a concentration camp, Bonhoeffer, like Luther, followed the
Lord Jesus Christ to the bitter end. Bonhoeffer’s theology was one of total trust and dependence
on the Lord, and this was very clearly displayed in his life and leadership. One example of this
was Bonhoeffer’s desire to lead, not just in the good and easy circumstances, but in the
incredibly painful and difficult. Author Stephen J. Nichols, in Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life:
1 Scott H. Hendrix,9Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer (London: Yale University Press, 2017), 4.
2 Benjamin K. Forrest, Kevin L. King, and Edward E. Hindson,9Celebrating the Legacy of the Reformation
(Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2019), 109.
3 Hendrix, Martin Luther, 5.
2
From the Cross, for the World, writes of Bonhoeffer’s thought process behind going back to
Germany before world war two by asking, “After all, how could he play a role in rebuilding the
church if he abandoned it during its hour of deepest need?”4 Bonhoeffer saw leadership as a
godly responsibility, not just an opportunity to elevate himself. The writings of Bonhoeffer
himself are evidence of a deeply held belief that true godliness in leadership comes from having
a view beyond oneself, focused on the work of Jesus and sharing him with the world.5
Calvin
Born just a few short years after Luther, and just down the road in France, John Calvin is
another theologian and Christian leader whose influence has shaped the lives and thinking of
millions over the years. There are even many who seem to have more passion for their identity as
“Calvinists” than as Christians. However, as described by David B. Calhoun in John Calvin: For
A New Reformation, more than a major theologian or reformer, “Calvin was first and foremost a
preacher and minister of a local church.”6 In many ways, this is the story of Calvin’s life and
leadership; the quiet things, hidden behind the publicity and fame, that actually drove him
forward. As Mark Shaw puts it in 10 Great Ideas from Church History: A Decision-Maker’s
Guide to Shaping Your Church, “At the heart of Calvin’s public victories as the champion of
reform were private victories gained through a relentless pursuit of the secrets of holiness.”7
While Calvin might be most well-known for his thoughts on predestination and God’s
sovereignty, these we not the greatest emphasis of his life. Like many of these other great
4 Stephen J. Nichols, Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life: From the Cross, for the World, ed. Justin Taylor
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 20.
5 Robert B. Slocum, “Thrown into God’s Arms: The Sacrificial Grace of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,”9Journal of
Ecumenical Studies958, no. 1 (2023): 17.
6 Derek Thomas and John W. Tweeddale, ed., John Calvin: For a New Reformation (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2019).
7 Mark Shaw, 10 Great Ideas from Church History: A Decision-Maker’s Guide to Shaping Your Church
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 47.
3
historical church leaders, Calvin’s desire for humility and to lead God people well was the
bedrock of his leadership.
Edwards
Just “across the pond,” a couple hundred years after Luther and Calvin, came a man who
is considered by some to be one of the greatest theologians and Christian leaders in American
history, Jonathan Edwards. Edwards might be most famously known for his seventeen forty-one
sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which is credited with helping spark the Great
Awakening in the United States.8 However, much like several of these other great leaders,
Edwards was also known for lovingly pastoring the same congregation for over twenty years.9
Perhaps more than anything else, his theology of revival and passion for enjoyment of the Lord
flavored his leadership, specifically his feverish desire to see the hearts and minds of those
around him be transformed.10 Edwards hated spiritual dullness and complacency. He believed
that God has better for us than that, and so his leadership as a pastor and as a larger spiritual
leader reflected unabridged passion for the things of God.
Carey
Another historical Christian leader known for his incredible passion and humble
servanthood is William Carey. However, unlike any of these previous leaders like Luther and
Calvin, Carey is not most famous for his world-shaping theology, but instead for his pioneering
efforts in the area of international missions. For most of his life, Carey willingly lived thousands
of miles from his home country of England, tirelessly working to spread the gospel in what is
now the country of India.11 Carey was additament that he was no legendary titan of faith, but
8 Roger Shultz, “Edward's Theology as the Foundation for His Life as a Leader” (video lecture in LEAD
520 at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, Fall 2023).
9 Shaw, 10 Great Ideas from Church History, 114.
10 Ibid, 116.
11 George Smith,9The Life of William Carey, D.D: Shoemaker and Missionary (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2011), 66-67.
4
rather a simple man trusting in the Lord and working his hardest to serve him well. As Jason G.
Duesing reports in Adoniram Judson: A Bicentennial Appreciation of the Pioneer American
Missionary, “He once told his nephew Eustace Carey (1791–1855) that he was essentially ‘a
plodder.’ In other words, his achievements were not the work of an inspired apostle, but the
product of grit, gumption, and, he would have wanted to add, divine grace.”12 Beyond just a
humble desire to serve the Lord, one of the most notable theologies that directly impacted
Carey’s leadership and mission to go to India was his friend Andrew Fuller’s explanation of how
it is the calling on believers to share the gospel with all people.13 Rather than just sit on this
information, Carey put it into action and allowed his entire life to be affected by this truth.
Judson
Lastly, with closer alignment to William Carey than any of the other leaders previously
listed, comes a man who was a pioneer of missions from a young America, Adoniram Judson.
Demonstrating one of the more remarkable stories of transformation on this list, Judson went
from being a self-centered, arrogant sinner to a humble servant of the Lord as a result of his
profound faith in Christ.14 Further influenced by the works of Jonathan Edwards, William Carey,
and a particularly powerful sermon by Claudius Buchanan, Judson’s entire life began to shift and
change as he felt a call to the far East, and the land of Burma. It is here, in the grand calling of
Judson’s life, that we see his theology affect his leadership the most. Judson was not concerned
with the personal cost of following Jesus, but with the global cost of not following him. As a
result, he went on to serve through tremendous loss and pain, continually loving the Burmese
people and establishing a foothold for the gospel in that region.
Conclusion
12 Jason G. Duesing, Adoniram Judson: A Bicentennial Appreciation of the Pioneer American Missionary,
ed. Michael A. G. Haykin (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2012), 11.
13 Ibid, 18.
14 Ibid, 55.
5
Each of these famous leaders seems to share one thing in common. Although many of
them had differences of opinion on various theological topics like baptism and predestination,
what they had in common was a recognition that they could do nothing apart from God who had
called them, and that following Jesus mattered more than anything this world has to offer. It is in
this commonality that I see the greatest basis for theology as a foundation for biblical leadership.
Not partisan theology or denominational distinctives, but a central focus on the reality of the
human condition in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus own example
for us, as described in Philippians 2:5-8, is a telling depiction of this truth, “Have this mind
among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did
not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a
servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (English Standard Version).
It is in our brokenness and dependence on the Lord that we find and firm foundation to
accomplish the greatness that God has in store for those who love him. Not greatness as the
world would see it, but greatness that is reflected in treasures stored in heaven. Jesus’ own words
in Matthew 20:16 about how God’s kingdom operates should tell us more than any history or
theology book ever could, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” It is those like these great
leaders of history, that embody this theology as their foundation for leadership, that will be used
by God for immeasurably more than they could ever ask or imagine.
6
Bibliography
Duesing, Jason G. Adoniram Judson: A Bicentennial Appreciation of the Pioneer American
Missionary. Edited by Michael A. G. Haykin. Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2012.
Forrest, Benjamin K., Kevin L. King, and Edward E. Hindson.9Celebrating the Legacy of the
Reformation. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2019.
Hendrix, Scott H.9Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer. London: Yale University Press, 2017.
Nichols, Stephen J. Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life: From the Cross, for the World. Edited by
Justin Taylor. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013.
Shaw, Mark. 10 Great Ideas from Church History: A Decision-Maker’s Guide to Shaping Your
Church. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017.
Shultz, Roger. “Edward's Theology as the Foundation for His Life as a Leader.” Lecture in
LEAD 520 at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, Fall 2023.
Slocum, Robert B. “Thrown into God’s Arms: The Sacrificial Grace of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer.”9Journal of Ecumenical Studies958, no. 1 (2023): 16-30.
Smith, George.9The Life of William Carey, D.D: Shoemaker and Missionary. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Thomas, Derek and John W. Tweeddale, ed., John Calvin: For a New Reformation. Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2019.
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