Jump directly to the Content

Tainted Mail, Untainted Message

Tainted Mail, Untainted Message
Image: Source Image: Jean Gerber / Unsplash

I'm learning to lead in fearful times. My church, you see, is served by the Washington-area post office where two workers died from inhalation anthrax. We were without mail delivery for many days, and when the mail eventually came, we had some conversation about handling it. Weeks later, I found my campus mailbox at Howard University sealed shut. There was police tape across the door to the mailroom and warning signs posted. Another threat, another scare.

Living in the District of Columbia, we watch the politicians carefully. As a leader myself, I have studied how the president and the mayor have responded in the crisis. To be candid, I wish at times they weren't so self-assured. I have concluded when you don't know what to do, it's not good to pretend that you do. People know when things aren't going as well as they are being portrayed.

But I know, at the same time, that people want confident leaders. The opinion polls verify that. As a pastor, I want to allay people's ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Ministry's Bleeding Edge
Ministry's Bleeding Edge
What churches do for trauma.
From the Magazine
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
As I attended my second funeral in three weeks, two Christians showed me a kindness I couldn’t explain.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close