Obviously, there are situations that require decisive leadership with immediate action, but in general, a good leader — especially the leader of a family — consults and persuades rather than demands. Literally, the standard is to love one another enough to give preference to each other.

Few biblical passages cause more confusion than Ephesians 5:21-33 that calls for wives to submit to husbands. It is bad enough that the secular world misconstrues those verses to envision Stepford wives; it is even worse when they try to fit Christian leaders into their distortions of the biblical principle of submission.

Michele Bachmann, who has served notably as a United States congresswoman and is currently a presidential candidate, is now under scrutiny regarding how she could, as a Christian president, balance submission and leadership.

In the context of women in leadership, it is important to note that biblical submission is about harmony and well-being within the home and the relationship between a husband and a wife; it has nothing to do with leadership responsibilities, except that no one — even the president of the United States – should treat others with disrespect, expect a subservient spirit from anyone or demand total surrender of another person’s will.

Thus, a woman who willingly submits to her husband — and enjoys his equal submission, nurturing and cherishing — does not have a similar relationship with the men at work. Some women in the workplace are the boss, the leader, the one in charge; other women are in subordinate positions, working under the direction of someone else.

In any work situation, a Christian woman (or man) should be considerate of others and not treat others in a disparaging or demeaning manner. A Christian woman or man in leadership must lead and fulfill the responsibilities for which they are accountable both to God and to those whom they are serving in a leadership capacity.

An authentic Christian will carry out his or her professional work within the parameters of genuine courtesy, wisdom, strength and competence. There is no room for power games or one-up-man-ship; instead, leadership is exerted with an attitude of service and commitment to the common good. The demands of leadership are the same for both women and men.

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Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. is author of Children at Risk (Transaction Publishers, 2010) and the forthcoming Marriage Matters (Transaction Publishers, March, 2012). She heads the think tank for Concerned Women for America.