ML534: Value-Based
Leadership in the Old Testament (4
units)
J. Robert Clinton,
Professor of Leadership
Winter 2004 Pasadena
DESCRIPTION:
Leadership theory over the past 150 years has evolved through five major paradigmatic eras. The present era, the Complexity Era, has a strong focus toward value-based leadership. Early eras concentrated on the “what” of leadership and the “how” of leadership. The Complexity Era continues these, but adds the “why” of leadership. This course utilizes many of these leadership perspectives, most of which are cross-cultural, to test and explore these findings in the Old Testament. What does the Old Testament say about these various leadership perspectives (such as leadership elements, leadership styles, philosophical models, leadership emergence theory, mentoring, change dynamics, etc.) as the framework for studying leadership?
Four of the six leadership eras in the Bible, the four Old Testament eras, are studied: 1) The Patriarchal Leadership Era (leadership roots); 2) The Pre-Kingdom Leadership Era (desert, warfare, tribal); 3) The Kingdom Leadership Era (united, divided, single); 4) The Post-Kingdom Leadership Era (exile, post-exilic, interim). Seven types of studies are done: (1) biographical; (2) historical leadership acts; (3) actual leadership contexts, (4) parabolic leadership literature, (5) indirect passages dealing with Christian character or behavior; (6) Bible books studied as a whole placing them in their context hermeneutically and in terms of leadership eras; (7) studies across books for common themes and lessons on leadership (called macro-lessons). This quarter we will major on two Bible Characters and their books—Nehemiah and Habakkuk.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
• Ability to analyze any of the seven
leadership genres in the Old Testament for leadership findings.
• Recognize the importance of the Bible
as a source of leadership information.
• Learn some skills for studying
leadership in the Bible.
• Learn some major leadership lessons
from the Bible.
• Evaluate present Bible knowledge.
• Commit to an on-going program of
personal Bible study so as to improve their Bible knowledge in general and
Biblical leadership knowledge in particular with a view toward becoming Bible
centered leaders.
COURSE FORMAT:
The class meets twice a week. See syllabus for
details of scheduling. The 1st session on Day 1 will be a SF time.
The 2nd session on Day 1 will be input on some leadership concept
from the Old Testament. During the 2nd day of each week, first
session will be input on some leadership concept from the Old Testament. The 2nd
session on Wednesday will be small groups doing exercises on Old Testament
leadership concepts.
REQUIRED READING:
ML534
syllabus and ML534 reader.
Bjoraker, Bill. Samuel—Last of the Judges
and First of the Prophets: A Model Leader for Transitional Times. Altadena,
CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1993.
Clinton, J. Robert. Joseph—Destined to
Rule-A Study in Integrity and Divine Affirmation. Altadena, CA: Barnabas
Publishers, 1985.
_______. Leadership Perspectives—How To Study the Bible for Leadership
(formerly Handbook I). Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1993.
_______. The Bible and Leadership Values—A Book By Book Analysis. Altadena,
CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1993.).
_______. Clinton Biblical Leadership
Commentary—Nehemiah, Focused Living. Get from Amazon.com (eBook)
_______.
Clinton Biblical Leadership
Commentary—Habakkuk, Hope for Leaders in Troubled Times.. Get from Amazon.com
(eBook)
_______. Having A Ministry That Lasts.
Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1998.
See syllabus for actual listing of other required technical works available on
the reserve shelf in the library.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Clinton,
J. Robert. A Short History of Leadership
Theory. Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1986.
_______. Conclusions on Leadership
Styles. Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1986.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1)
Satisfactory completion of reading of Leadership Perspectives
2) Evaluation of Bible background
using the BMPI given in Having A Ministry
That Lasts.
3) 1500 pages of reading of
required materials.
4) One communication event— to be
presented in class before a peer group—written and turned in.
5) Two papers (5-10 pages) from
analysis of two of the Leadership Genre types (or alternatively—a major test on
the book of Nehemiah, Biblical Commentary).
6) 7 devotional times using the 7
Question or the One Thought method.
PREREQUISITES: None.
Courses such as ML530 or ML501, ML520, ML521, and ML523 are helpful.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Auditors need written permission
of instructor prior to first week of quarter/orientation lecture. Auditors must
do all exercises and projects of the class.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None
(unless the test option is chosen on the book of Nehemiah).