Aura of a Statesman

If you thought the Honor Academy was only about getting to know Jesus Christ more and to be more like him, you were wrong. It is also about attaining “the Aura of a Statesmen.” In recent years, this has become a very important cause for Dave Hasz.

Dave gets this idea from 2 Cor. 5:20 which says we are ambassadors for Christ. Dave’s interpretation is that this means we must be like Western statesmen in order to be real leaders.

“You aren’t going to be a great leader until you learn to be classy.”

I guess nobody ever mentioned this to King David, Gideon, John the Baptist, etc. I am pretty sure hiding in a caves, living isolated in the desert and eating locusts isn’t classy. And for all the things Jesus was accused of, I’m pretty sure being classy wasn’t one of them.

Is there anything wrong with being a classy person? No, of course not. Is there something wrong with insisting that you won’t be a good Christian leader until you become someone’s subjective version of a classy person?

Yes, there is something very wrong with that. It’s called adding to Scripture and Teen Mania does a lot of it.

8 comments:

Heath Stoner said…

Are you allowing posts? Because the first one Mr. Hasz did was taken off.
June 23, 2009 3:39 PM

Recovering Alumni said…

All comments are moderated. It has now been approved.
June 23, 2009 10:33 PM

Anonymous said…

i agree with this.. the one thing that i can relate with. my ministry is to be the opposite of class, in order to reach those in dark places.
November 23, 2009 11:54 AM

Anonymous said…

You’re absolutely right. None of the great leaders bother to study how to address people, what to wear, or mannerisms to make. The CEO of GE just wings it. The President goes from the cuff. Congress just does whatever and hopes to get re-elected (crosses fingers).

People are never drawn to listening to people who exude authority. That’s why Jesus refused the title of Rabbi, right?

And while my post will probably be deleted for this: Someone who has to squelch opposing views for their own to seem valid must generally have a pretty weak argument (i.e. Dave’s statement being missing as per the “comment policy”).
March 17, 2010 9:30 AM

Recovering Alumni said…

First off, Dave’s comment isn’t missing – its on another post.

Second, I guess I’m missing the point of the HA. I thought it was to develop our relationship and focus on spiritual growth, but apparently its all about business success now.

You can keep the CEO of GE and the President as your role models. I’ll take Moses and Paul – neither of whom were gifted speakers, but somehow God managed to use them anyway…
March 17, 2010 9:46 AM

Anonymous said…

I believe the “Aura of a Statesman” falls under the Excellence core value. Moses and Paul are from a different culture. Moses may not have been an excellent speaker but he grew up as royalty in the king’s house which taught him “protocol”. He was raised by a king so he knew how to treat the King of Kings. That is why there is a scripture that talks about how close Moses was to God.

God takes the ordinary and does the extraordinary. I believe that Mr. Hasz wants young people to rise to another level of excellence.

Paul may not have been an excellent speaker but he was a man of authority and an excellent writer. All of Christs Disciples were business men they were fishermen, lawyers, doctors tax collectors, etc. They were men and women of authority.

In America we live under a democracy. We choose our elected officials. This seems great but it hasn’t taught us how to treat or deal with royalty. We don’t understand the protocol. God is the King of Kings. We have no point of reference in our society of a King.

I agree that you don’t have to be “classy” to be a leader. When you become a part of an organization you are subject to their authority. As interns we have accepted to live by the rules, core values, etc. set forth by Teen Mania and the HA. There were things that I didn’t agree with while I was an intern but I didn’t allow it to hinder my obedience.

While I was an intern Mr. Hasz taught about the Aura of a Statesmen. I didn’t feel as though I had to be classy to be a leader, I felt as though I needed to strive for excellence.
April 17, 2010 11:31 PM

Recovering Alumni said…

Anon – You said, “I believe the “Aura of a Statesman” falls under the Excellence core value.” So where is that in Scripture??

Many of Christ’s disciples were blue collar workers – not what I would call businessmen…They were hardly men and women of authority. In fact, they were very uneducated which is why the Pharisees were surprised at their authority in the book of Acts.

I don’t track with your statements about relating to God as a king through proper protocols…the NT says we are no longer servants but friends and beloved children.

I’m glad you don’t feel like you have to be classy to be a leader. BUT DAVE HASZ SAYS YOU Do. And that was my point.
April 18, 2010 6:46 AM

TMgoth said…

I always agreed with the basic principles of the Aura of a Statesman speech. How you dress and present yourself does make a difference and aught to be paid attention to. But I disagreed with his application of those principles, and I certainly agree that it is not something of Biblical importance, only practical importance.

(It was always fun to talk with people on this topic while I was an intern, because they always expected me to hate it and discount it entirely, because I was very “goth.”) 🙂
April 20, 2010 10:50 AM