Archbishop Christodoulos and Gordon Hinckley were both church leaders who commanded enormous respect. Both were members of denominations that are hierarchical, that is, policy and theology—though often collegially discussed and interpreted—is dictated from the top down. The same could be said of the Roman Catholic Church and the other Orthodox churches throughout the world.
In these denominations, leadership styles and personalities have great impact on rank and file members and on others. Though I am a Baptist, I personally believe that two of the great leaders to come on the world stage in the last several decades have been Pope John Paul II, and now Pope Benedict. John Paul’s moral influence, not only on Catholics, but among non-Catholics, is one of the critical factors in the fall of Communism. So too, Benedict’s extraordinary intellect and leadership are exactly what Europe needs, confronted as they are with militant Islam.
In denominations like mine, what might be called the low church, the leaders have less established authority, but just as much moral authority. Who among American evangelicals would not regard Billy Graham with as much respect as Catholics have for the Pope? These are non-hierarchical Christian movements. So there may not be a direct line of authority at least in religious terms, but there is certainly the same respect for leadership.
In this age of celebrity, even religious leaders who some of us might not be particularly enamored of nonetheless have authority and followings that are as much a sociological phenomenon as religious.
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