What is the difference between knowledge and belief?
Webster’s Dictionary defines each primarily as:
Knowledge: the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association; acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique.
Belief: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
Why does the difference matter? I recently heard someone say that Satan knows Jesus is the Son of God, but he doesn’t believe in Jesus.
Let that sink in for a second.
If anyone knows the facts behind Jesus’ pedigree, it is Satan, God’s accuser. Satan, or Lucifer (not the TV show) is described in the Bible as many things, to include serpent (Genesis 3), the Prince of this World (John 12), and the Dragon (Revelation 12). As an antagonist, his role is myriad and perfect. As an archangel with legions of his own followers, he has access to the Trinity of God (Job 1), meaning he easily meets the requirements of knowledge via “familiarity gained through experience or association” of Jesus as the Son of God.
But Satan doesn’t believe in Jesus any more than a Democrat believes Trump is a good president, than Afghan women believe the Taliban are a viable government, or that anyone beyond the 5th grade believes Canada will become the 51st State of the Union. Further, not only does Satan not believe in Jesus, he doesn’t believe in God’s ultimate deity (Isaiah 14).
Let’s look at it a different way. Science tells us that the Moon revolves around the Earth, the Earth revolves around the Sun, and the Sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. That same 5th grader learns that scientists have used calibrated instruments to track the movement of celestial bodies and can predict their future pathways within inches thanks to Newton’s Laws of Motion. This knowledge empowers scientists to predict Moon cycles, eclipses, and weather events.
Despite most adults’ knowledge of the solar system, 99.9 percent of adults will never test Newton’s Laws, will never touch a calibrated telescope, and will never see the Moon or Sun from above the Karman Line. However, we all still believe that the sun will “rise” in the morning and “set” in the evening. We place our “trust and confidence” in the Sun’s regularity. We don’t need to know the whys and wherefores. We just believe.
Why is this distinction important?
Servant Leaders acknowledge that there are numerous viable and useful leadership philosophies. Despite its flaws, even despotism is a viable leadership approach. We can give you names of Transactional leaders, Autocrats, and Charismatic leaders who hit the headlines every day. But we don’t believe in those styles of leadership.
We believe Servant Leadership offers the best approach for today’s contentious business environment.
Why?
More than familiarity through experience or association, we have trust and confidence in the superiority of servant leadership. Greenleaf and Sinek have well defined our style of leadership for the masses. Whether highlighting empathy, healing, and stewardship or justness and courage, servant leaders believe in the positive, beneficial individual and collective impact of our style. It’s why we celebrate when others succeed and suffer when others fail. It’s why we go to great lengths to mentor and train the next generation of leaders while accepting the dimming of our own star.
And it’s why no matter the pressures, criticisms, or efforts to diminish our impact, servant leaders persevere. Because, like the Sun “rising” in the East, we believe in the power of service. And while accusers (Revelation 12) and deceivers (John 8, 2 Corinthians 11) abound, true believers find self-worth in our investment in the success of others. And that is good for business.
