Bridging the Tragic Gap with Servant-Leadership: An Exploration of Stewardship and Healing

This article utilizes servant-leadership theory to engage with the leadership predicament that theologian Parker Palmer calls “the tragic gap”—the disparity between a hopeful vision for good and the reality of humanity’s propensity for violence. Utilizing two of servant-leadership theory’s ten characteristics, this article explores how stewardship and healing might serve the servant-leader who wishes to bridge the tragic gap. Through a survey of interdisciplinary literature, this article concludes that essential actions of stewardship and healing include: honoring human dignity, care-giving, love, responsibility, and forgiveness.