Sorry, Folks, Jesus was a Crappy Leader

C'mon! You were thinking it too!

From the NW:

True leadership doesn't mean the bottom line, getting promotions and raises, or being praised by your peers. It is about people, service and results. It's a new way of leading based on the teachings of Jesus, the greatest leader of all time. He gave His followers a vision, reminded them of long-term effects, held them accountable, allowed for their failure, and redirected and inspired them. He started a movement that continues 2000 years later.

Sorry, but if Jesus wasn't the Messiah, he'd be remembered as a pretty lousy leader.

Philosopher? Yes. Visionary? You betcha. Overall nice guy to hang out with? Absolutely. But leader? No way.

Does a good leader go out into the desert for 40 days at a time, presumably remaining incommunicado with the boys back at the office? Would a good leader speak in obtuse parables or would he just cut to the chase? Does a leader allow the destruction of his own organization at the hands of a disgruntled employee (Judas, we're looking at you here)?

The answers are clearly no.

Now if you think this all a huge slander against Christianity, you'd best think again. Visionaries tend to be awful leaders because they aim to not merely lead humanity for the brief time they're on this planet, but to lead mankind for all time. The fact that Jesus' message resonated with so many people despite his whimsical leadership is a testament to just how profound the guy was.

If you're looking for a Biblical model of leadership to emulate, look to St. Paul. His life fits far better into modernity. The dude was driven and obsessed with his mission; a prolific communicator; was willing to go where the action was; and took plenty of calculated risks that would eventually pay off. He also left some pretty solid instructions for others to follow when he eventually called it quits.

Plus, Paul was unburdened by having to fulfill any kind of prophecy.

... Just putting that out there. Flame away in the comments