Servant-Leadership as a Model for Christian Community

A Subversive Rhetoric and Ideology in Luke 22:23-27

Bibliographic Data

ID3279491
AuthorsGodwin A Etukumana (0000-0002-8967-6677, University of South Africa, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue4
Pages391
Publication date2024-03-24
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15040391
OpenAlexW4393160925
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

This article carefully examines the meaning of servant leadership as embedded in Luke 22:23-27. We believe that servant leadership as taught by the Lukan Jesus is an ideal leadership style suitable for anyone who aspires for any leadership position. To examine this topic, this article adopts subversive rhetoric to interpret the text in Luke 22:23-27 to understand the embedded ideology within the text. The application of subversive rhetoric and ideology in reading Luke 22:23-27 provides insights into the leadership problems faced in Christian community today. Using subversive rhetoric and ideology as a means of interpretation, this article emphasises that the Lukan text is an invitation to the Christian community to model their leadership style based on the premise of the Lukan Jesus since leadership is the centre of every good governance. The Lukan Jesus instructed his followers not to follow the empire's leadership style of ruling over people without caring for their wellbeing. However, the article acknowledges that the disciples were instructed to subversively change the leadership style and implement the one that would be of benefit to the entire humanity-the servant leadership model. It concludes that the Luke text aims at introducing a servant leadership system that was against the Roman Empire for the new Lukan community and invites the present Christian community and world leaders to imbibe the ideology of servant leadership style as introduced by the Lukan Jesus and practised by Nelson Mandela

Ideology · Leadership style · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rhetoric · Servant leadership · Sociology · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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