John Gallo & Jenna Bieber Lessons from Cain and Abel to Guide Leaders Through Turbulent Times A worldwide pandemic. Social unrest. Economic uncertainty. Political divide. A recent poll shows that 80% of Americans feel that our nation is spiraling out of control. The end result is that many Americans have become angry, divided, and sometimes even hostile toward one another. We are living in what’s called an “anger incubator,” just waiting to explode. Being a leader at this delicate and fragile time in our nation’s history presents a staggering amount of challenges. In all organizations, leaders must contend with a diverse workforce that may be at odds over the various social issues that we face. Leaders are also being asked to examine both their organizations and their own lives for areas of institutional injustice in their policies, processes, and organizational culture. Though Scripture was written more than two thousand years ago, it can still guide today’s leaders to explore issues of hatred, bias, anger, and division in their organizations. There is no quick “fix” to end animosity, incivility, discrimination and racial strife within organizations or even society at large; it does not exist. The issues affecting companies, communities, and neighborhoods are multi-layered and nuanced. Because of this, it is valuable to examine the reasons why hatred exists and how God responds to it. Not only does God’s word in Scripture show us why hatred exists and where it started, but it can also provide a way forward. Hatred 101: Cain & Abel To encounter the deep hatred that causes people to harm one another, one does not have to look far in the Bible. The Bible details the very first murder, pitting brother against brother in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. When God created the world and made the first man and woman in His image, Adam and Eve, he gave them what is known as the “cultural” or “divine mandate”: God wanted Adam and Eve to populate the earth, to take care of it and help it flourish abundantly. When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s command to preserve one tree for God’s honor or glory alone, all that was pristine and perfect in the world was suddenly marred, and sin had entered creation. That sin causes Adam and Eve to hide from God in shame, causes Adam to blame God for creating Eve, and ultimately results in their banishment from the beautiful garden God created for them. These events set in motion the first murder, recorded in Chapter 4. Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. (Genesis 4:1-2, ESV) Adam and Eve began the divine mandate by conceiving children to populate the world. The phrasing in verse 2 (“and again, she bore his brother Abel”) leads some commentators to infer that perhaps Cain and Abel were twins. We do not know that for sure, but we do know they must have been close to the same age since they grew in their roles at approximately the same rate. Cain was a farmer and Abel a shepherd. These are the first two occupations mentioned in the Bible, representing the primary types of work that were needed in creation at this point: tending to the land and tending to the animals. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. (Genesis 4:3-5, ESV) We can infer that at some point, God asks for an offering. What happened next is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Cain and Abel brought their offerings, but the Lord found favor with Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. This is not to imply that because Abel brought a living sacrifice and Cain brought fruit, God favors shepherding over farming. Nothing could be further from the truth. The wording here is critical to see the problem: Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of theirfat portions. Some translations say Cain brought “some” fruit. The key here is not what was delivered, but the heart with which Cain brought it. Cain just brought some fruit. Abel, on the other hand, brought the best of his work (the firstborn calf which would have been the best and tastiest meat.) Abel gave God his best, but Cain simply gave him some of the fruit of his labor. As a result, God favored Abel’s offering. Cain was terribly angry, and the phrase “his face fell” is synonymous with shame. Then, he turns that anger and shame into jealousy of Abel. 6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7, ESV) God warned Cain that this feeling was going to consume him and that he needed to control his jealousy, or it would destroy him. 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:8-9, ESV). Cain did not heed God’s warning. He allowed his jealousy and anger to consume him, and his heart turned hard toward his brother. In the end, Cain took Abel’s life, and—showing no remorse—even lied when questioned by God. As leaders in modern society, what can be learned from this excerpt of the Bible as we navigate tensions in our workplace? Leadership Principle #1: Leaders hold people accountable for sin. It is essential to understand that when God confronted Cain, he already knew what Cain had done. After all, God is sovereign; He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Nothing happens that God is not aware of and thoroughly involved in. While God did hold Cain accountable, he didn’t just barge in and say, “Cain, I saw what you did.” Instead, he asked Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Many times, people mistakenly believe that leaders should simply provide the answers. However, the mark of authentic leadership is often not in the ability to simply provide solutions but in the ability to ask the right questions. In today’s organizations, leaders have a responsibility to look deeply for areas of systematic racism and division, policies that are unjust and could lead to resentment, individual prejudices among staff and self, and other forms of discriminatory behavior. The murder of Abel took place “when they were in the field.”Cain and Abel may have been family, and Cain’s hatred may have stemmed from a personal matter, but Abel’s murder took place in the workplace. As we see from this example, private hatred often leads to public action. In order to be proactive, leaders must be able to address issues of discrimination and hatred in their workplace, preferably before any actions caused by those beliefs occur. In order to do this, leaders must hold the organization accountable by asking questions to get at why those beliefs and attitudes exist. And of course, leaders need to listen intently to the answers. This is a technique that Jesus uses throughout the New Testament. Questions elicit a response; they cause a dialogue. This practice can be as simple as examining an HR handbook and asking critical questions about various policies: do these policies favor some groups over others? Alternatively, it can be as deep as looking at the organization’s mission, charter, and bylaws and asking difficult questions about the goal of the organization: does this goal inadvertently favor some people over others? Do the hiring practices of the company unintentionally discriminate against certain groups of people? A note on Principle #1 As leaders strive to hold people accountable, it’s important to be aware of a few other things we see in Scripture. Cain does not immediately tell God the truth; instead, he covers it with a lie. Leaders need to be aware that simply asking difficult questions does not always get to the truth because people are sinful. As with Cain, sinful behavior leads to more sinful behavior. Our culture is full of “quick-fix” solutions to the many problems that we face in terms of anger and division. Some may think it’s as simple as removing symbols of perceived hate like changing the name of a football team or college mascot; others may believe that money will solve the problem and end inequality. However, the Christian leader knows that systemic things like racism and hatred are the effect, not the cause. The Christian leader views these issues as part of a more significant systemic sin problem that all people have. The 20th-century philosopher and Christian leader Francis Schaeffer called people “glorious ruins.” He said that people were glorious in that we were made in the image of God and bear that image in our rationality, our creativity, our ability to have relationships, and our ability to communicate with one another on many different levels.