Original Research - Special Collection: Christian Leadership

Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God: Kenosis of leadership

Hlulani Mdingi
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 76, No 2 | a5844 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v76i2.5844 | © 2020 Hlulani Mdingi | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 11 October 2019 | Published: 30 April 2020

About the author(s)

Hlulani Mdingi, Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Religious Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Leadership is at the core of Christianity; it operates from the paradigm of God’s revelation to humanity through creation. The creation of the world and the creation of Imago Dei are markers of the service that God has maintained from creation to the fulfilment of soteriology (Gn 1:26, 3 and I Cor 15:42). The early church’s worship of Christ, at least in the Didache, stemmed from the fact that this Hebrew prophet was a servant of God and was YHWH in the flesh. The early teachings of the church were service to the world. This article contends that Christianity faces a crisis because of neglect of the nuclei of Christian theology and faith oriented around the real or physical person of Christ and service to others. The emphasis of this article focuses on kenosis as a prerogative of true Christian faith and leadership. A kenotic model of leadership is service to humanity and the world. The article seeks reflection on the theological importance of kenosis, which interacts with creation and creature. This approach will highlight underlying theology for leadership as it relates to the person of Christ.

Keywords

Leadership; Kenosis; Incarnation; Christology; Soteriology; Black theology

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