Africa's greatest export should be good leaders, according to Saddleback Church's Pastor Rick Warren.
Speaking at the African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) conference in Kigali, Rwanda today, Warren – a long-time supporter of the Rwandan people and a dual-nationality Rwanda and US citizen – tackled the issue of corruption and leadership.
He said leaders had to begin by recognising the darkness in their own hearts: "The Bible says we are all corrupted by sin. We can't just talk about people 'out there', we have to talk about ourselves.
"Given the right situation, you are capable of any sin."
He spoke of the three temptations faced by any leader, referring to 1 John 2.15-17, in which John warns disciples not to 'love the world'. The Bible's teaching, he said, was to love the people of the world but to hate the values of the world.
We are tempted to switch that round, he said: "We hate the people and love the values. We're just as materialistic, just as interested in having fun. God says love the people, hate the value system."
Africa – and nations around the world – needs leaders of integrity, generosity and humility, in politics, business and the Church, he said.
Integrity "doesn't mean you're perfect", he added: "If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done." However, it does mean wholeness, and continually trying to make our outward appearance match our inward reality.
He spoke of the need for generosity, saying that when he and his wife Kay had married 44 years ago they had pledged to increase their giving every year. Thanks to the enormous profits generated by The Purpose Driven Life, he had been able to repay his church the salary it had paid him for the previous 20 years and they gave away 91 per cent of their income.
"Every pastor or priest I know would do the same if they could," he said.
He said he regarded the 'prosperity gospel' as "heresy", but said: 'I've been playing a game with God for 44 years – you give to me, I'll give to you, and we'll see who wins.
"I don't give to get, I give to be a blessing."
Of humility, he said it was "not denying your strengths; humility is being honest about your weaknesses".
David, a "man after God's own heart", was an adulterer and a murderer, but "he was not just a great sinner, he was a great repenter".
He concluded: "What should be the number one export of Africa? Not some product – not oil or gas or minerals or bananas or anthing – the number one product that's needed around the world is leaders.
"Leaders of integrity, humility, generosity. And if our Church raises up those kinds of people, guess what? Corruption will go down. The trauma of corruption will go down."
