Follow the Leader

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

“Follow.”

It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. Our world is filled with disparate voices, inviting us to “follow” them. From Instagram and Twitter, to presidents and preachers, voices cry out to us that they know “the way,” and that we  should drop everything and follow them.

The next two weeks in worship, we’ll unpack some of the Gospel passages where Jesus calls the Disciples. I am always both moved and disturbed by these passages. The dangers of “blindly” following a leader has never been more obviously before us than they are right now.

A week ago, we saw thousands of blind followers of Donald Trump —absolutely convinced of the idea that the election had been stolen, and that he had a “plan” to take back our country— overrun our Capitol Building in what can only be rightly called an “insurrection.”

I was both moved and angered by stories of how some of them reacted once they got inside. There are stories that once they’d actually blindly followed far enough to storm the Capitol and harm Capitol police, that some of them looked at each other and said, “Now What?!”

They genuinely expected Donald Trump to be there alongside of them, giving them “marching orders” on what was supposed to happen next. Instead, he told them to go home, which threw them into deep confusion and anger.

It’s not just politicians who sometimes inspire blind devotion. Religious figures do too, of course.

A few weeks back, I watched a disturbing documentary about the “Heavens Gate” cult from California. It was chilling to see just how *sure* these followers were that their leaders were right…how they believed the lie that a spaceship was hitching a ride on a comet, coming to get them, and therefore they must all commit mass suicide.

The blind following of *any* leader can be dangerous, whether they be political or religious. And the only thing that justifies our following would be if we are to discern that the “call” we are receiving is genuinely from God.

Jesus’ call is to be followed only to the extent that we understand him to be both human *and* God, and not just some other human leader alone.

But, even then, we are called —as Paul says— to “test” the Spirits. Ask, “is this call true? Are these leaders truly leading me in God’s way, or just their way?”

In the United Methodist tradition, for example, we preachers are vigorously grilled and interviewed about our “call” to be ordained. When Kay and I offered ourselves as potential United Methodist clergy, the denomination didn’t just say “Sure! Come on in!”

We went through a rigorous, and often grueling multi-year process of application, interviews, and “probationary” status. (The process can easily take 5-7 years, start to finish…)

And, we are required to update our training regularly, too.

I say this not to brag, but as an example.

The sad truth is, there is no “interview” for many preachers or politicians. Some get to positions of leadership only by their rhetoric alone, with few hard questions about who they are, or why they want to lead us.

As for me,  I will now once again say what you’ve heard me say before:

God has not appointed me the “Pope” of Kessler Park UMC. We United Methodists do not see the calling of our ministers in this way. In our tradition, you are free —in fact, you are INVITED to take the things I say as a starting point to develop your own beliefs…not as commands you must blindly follow.

I speak out on a lot of social topics. Especially this year, I have said some very strident things. But I hope you always hear my caveat that you are free to disagree with me. In fact, you are CALLED TO at times.

God invites you, through your own baptism, to read the scriptures, pray, and discern your own social and theological views. With “fear and trembling,” of course.

There’s an old joke: “In God we trust, all others pay cash.”

We might tweak this to say: We follow God, but we “test the Spirit” with everyone else who seeks to lead us.

That’s true for all preachers.

That’s true for all politicians.

Even our incoming President and Vice-President.

Just as it was dangerous to blindly follow Donald Trump, so too it will be dangerous to blindly follow Biden/Harris….or Folkerth….or anyone else who seeks to lead you in this world, whether secular or sacred.

Pray for all those who invite you to follow, whomever they are.

Consider their invitation.

But always test their call against your own intuition and the leading of your own Spirit too.

Somewhere in the midst of this messy discernment, you will find your path.