Character Counts: Leadership Qualities in Washington, Wilberforce, Lincoln, and Solzhenitsyn

by Os Guinness (editor)

The inspiring stories of four public figures who displayed strength of character in the face of adversity, enabling them to change the world.

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Nonfiction, History, Biography

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Os Guinness (D.Phil., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The American Hour, Time for Truth and The Case for Civility. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. He lives near Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It dawned on me while I was reading this book that the modern view of God's sovereignty is probably attributable to Abraham Lincoln and his vast influence on the American psyche. The pervasive idea in his writing during the American Civil War that the will of God was being done, despite any seeming evidence to the contrary, is a seductive one. It flirts with fatalism, invests meaning into stark tragedy and shares responsibility with God, and in some cases totally shifts it to Him.

I'm reasonably sure that the author of the article about Lincoln in this collection didn't intend to convey this idea. But it's what came across to me: that much modern understanding of divine sovereignty comes from the need to believe in the righteousness of the cause, despite the anguish to the nation, rather than finds its proper foundation in the paradox of God's will vs. humanity's freewill.

Lincoln's beliefs are potently expressed in his words: "...if after endeavoring to do my best in the light that He affords me, I find my efforts fail, I must believe that for some purpose unknown to me, He wills it otherwise. If I had had my way, this war would never have been commenced; if I had been allowed my way this war would have ended before this, but we find it still continues; and we must believe that He permits it for some wise purpose of His own, mysterious and unknown to us; and though with our limited understandings we may not be able to comprehend it, yet we cannot but believe, that He who made the world still governs it."

Most of my notes for this book come from Guinness' introduction rather than from the contributing authors. He is, as ever, a thoughtful and quotable author.

Character in leadership has been replaced by image, truth by power and plausibility, and confession and moral changes by spin control and image makeovers. (p9)
The last quarter of the century has slipped from Nietzsche's "superman," Dostoyevsky's "exceptional man," and Hegel's incarnation of the "will of history." It has instead given way to mediocre leadership, reinforced by the trends toward the cult of personality and celebrity and toward the confusion over leadership and followership. (p11)
The Greeks ... were the first to hold that character was the mark stamped on a coin and therefore the quality stamped on a person. But whereas we moderns think character is what distinguishes a person as a particular individual, the Greeks believed character is a person's share in the qualities of which all humans partake. Their concern was the community not just the individual. The Hebrews, in contrast, saw such character as essentially moral. "Righteousness" in the Bible is not just a matter of what we do and is certainly not just what we say. Righteousness is a matter ofthe heart. It is about who we are at the core of our beings - before God. (p13)

Insatiable, limitless ambition - a grasping beyond hubris that the Greeks called pleonexia, or overweening desire. (p18)

We do not seem dismayed by evil heroes. Indeed, we have a streak of fascination for our fellow creatures with the audacity to transgress. Our age is often described as "permissive." More accurately, it is "transgressive." "It is forbidden to forbid" is the rallying cry and way of life of many of our fellow citizens. (p18)

It is a truism that indifference leads to toleration. (p43) Paul F Boller Jr

John Bright reinforced Lincoln's sense of God's sovereignty: "...the hand of the Supreme Ruler... is bringing about one of those great transactions in history which men often will not regard when they are passing before them, but which they look back uponLinclon with aware and astonishment some years after they are past." (p122)

Lincoln stated that He believed God "will compel us to do right in ... accord with His plan of dealing with this nation, in the midst of which He means to establish justice." (p127)Elton Trueblood

Solzhenitsyn observed that Western democracies were concerned more with the letter of the law - to be historically significant mainly as a juridical society - rather than with justice, truth or the realization of human potential under God. (p137) He accused Christian leaders and pacifists in the West of knowing nothing in life worth dying for. (p137)

"I have never doubted that the truth would be restored to my people. I believe that we shall repent, that we shall be spiritually cleansed, that the Russian nation will be reborn." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (p160)

[Barry Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled “Leadership Qualities in Washington, Wilberforce, Lincoln and Solzhenitsyn,” this remarkable book combines biographical data and each individual’s own words to demonstrate the significant of character and resolve in the face of adversity. After an introduction to the nature and significance of true character by the editor, the four chapters briefly recount the background and then the stories of these extraordinary men from diverse walks of life and how they rose to the challenges before them. Washington’s tale involves his resolve to forge a new nation of true religious liberty and eschew creating another monarchy in this new world. In the case of Lincoln, it was his increasing resolve and deepening spirituality during the dark days of the Civil War. Wilberforce’s story recounts his tireless struggle against the evils of slavery as well as his passion to advance what he called “the reformation of manners” to his beloved England. Finally, Solzhenitsyn’s journey, one of extraordinary persecution, describes his intense desire to tell the story of what happened in his nation as he saw himself as the only one who was able to speak for those who had been silenced.

A fascinating and challenging book that both informs and inspires the reader to be a person of Character.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly uneven book, which isn't surprising since each chapter was written by different people. The chapters on Wilberforce and Lincoln are excellent and highlight the connection between character and leadership in their lives. The chapter on Washington was informative but lacked that string connection to the thesis of the book. I'm still trying to figure out the chapter on Solzhenitsyn. Still an important topic and a worthwhile read if only for the Wilberforce and Lincoln chapters, which provide an excellent introduction to strong moral leaders from a different period.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book disappointing. An introductory chapter on character (what it is, why it is lacking, why character matters) is followed by treatments (two chapters each) of Washington, Wilberforce, Lincoln, and Solzhenitsyn. These treatments are more biographical (some tending toward hagiography) than analytical. Did these men exhibit good character? The reader is left to decide for themselves. On a side note, the book itself was very stiff and was, to my memory, one of the more difficult books to hold open that I have experienced.

[Cheryl Durham]

Os Guinness is one of my favorite authors. His insights into the culture are profound yet somewhat obvious for the thinking person. Perhaps it is the lack of character and critical thinking skills so apparent in the current pop culture that makes this book yet relevant, however, I believe it is a message that can be reiterated in every culture in order to avoid the consequences of George Santayana’s warning to people who forget the past. It is to that end that I write this review.

In his Introduction, Guinness begins with what he says is the first postmodern president, Bill Clinton. He opines that Clinton is a consequence of the decline of the 20th century ideas. He says that if we follow that path, “panderer rather than leader”, the consequences cannot be good. Twenty something years later, we see that Guinness was prophetic in his understanding of Richard J. Foster’s claim that ‘ideas have consequences’ and for our culture today we see that those consequences can be dire.

Guinness explains that although some think that this is a loss of American ‘values’ it really goes much deeper. He says that character is much deeper than values and that it must be developed and honed in order to be effective. Guinness then presents essays, written by Alonzo Mc Donald, Paul Boller, Jr., J. Douglas Holladay, John Pollock, Elton Trueblood and Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, which tell the stories of four different men in whose lives good character was a primary feature.

Section One is George Washington, a legend in and of himself, whose stands on liberty and bigotry are famous. Section Two is William Wilberforce whose work forever changed Britain’s view of slavery. Section Three is Abraham Lincoln whose character epitomizes what most people remember about him. Finally, Section Four deals with Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, a Russian dissident whose life is characterized by imprisonment for his ideals. Those ideals did not leave him and his legacy should be a warning to those who would ‘go along to get along’ in the climate of pop culture today.

All in all, a great and easy read. As I said earlier I like Guinness as he is profound yet simple and his writings are timeless. People are always people regardless of the passage of time. The timeless idea of good character will determine whether a society thrives or falls.

[Philip Meinel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something different that makes these men stand out in history, a key behind their greatness. Character. What is character? I enjoyed gaining insight into character as I read about these men. I felt challenged to live a similar life of purpose. Do I have any of the same qualities? Would my friends describe me as having the same honorable and inspiring traits as these men? What example am I setting for my children? Who are our admirable leaders today?

The natural state of things is deterioration. This book is a call for the reinstatement of character in our society today. It is evident you do not get these admirable qualities by accident. Otherwise greatness would be commonplace. So read, learn, and apply!

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I see what the author was trying to do here, but it just didn't work for me. I felt like it was a rant about how people these days have no character which as a decent human being and teacher I already disagree with. But then the argument seemed to be you need religion to have character as well as being an old, white guy. I learned a few things about these historical figures, but those are the only good points to this book.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of history. And I really enjoy how this book demonstrated the level of integrity held by the people researched. I especially enjoyed the account William Wilberforce. My issue though, it seems the author draws a very definite comparison to men of character and a firm belief in the Christian God. In a way discounting the possibility that people without faith could be of strong moral fibre and character. I found that troubling.

I give it 3 stars.

[Ruppert Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one might guess, this slim compendium of essays explores leadership as demonstrated by 4 men of stellar character. While it can be argued, and many will, that these men were flawed, it must be argued that all people are. But the ability of these four to find the personal strength and moral character to act despite all the force and forces arrayed against them is an inspiration.

[Stephanie Cowart · Rating 3 out of 5]

See the full review here....


http://stephaniecowart.com/2010/12/19...

[Guanhui · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read on the exemplary lives of men of character.

[Aaron Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small snapshot of 4 great men of our times!