How The Minister's Black Veil Corrupts Christian Leadership

Everyone masks themselves with false pride in order to cover up who they really are. No one is truly and utterly honest with others or even themselves. Such is the case of Mr. Hooper, a pastor whom Hawthorne portrays in The Minister’s Black Veil. The story follows his life as a minister who wears a black veil everywhere he goes. In Hawthorne’s tale, the black veil is a hungry beast which feeds on the souls of the vulnerable. Through the use of symbolism, Hawthorne uses Mr. Hooper black veil to represent pride and the five ways it corrupts Christian leadership.
The first way pride corrupts Christian leadership is by creating a false idea of control. Bill Hybel, a leader of many influential leadership books, makes a very important point about

the importance of seeking God as a Christian leader, “God is the inventor of things like courage, discipline, endurance and love. How can we possibly gain those traits apart from him?” (10). In Hawthorne depiction of Mr. Hopper’s preaching method, it is clear that Mr. Hopper is attempting to lead on his own, “ Mr. Hopper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward, by mild persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither, by the thunders of the Word” (637). The phase, “…he strove to win his people heavenward” emphasizes Mr. Hooper’s attempt to bring people to God using his own strength, causing the reader to question whether the purpose of Mr. Hooper’s preaching was to draw people to God or to fill up the seats in his congregation and to his record of salvations. This is an inadequate method preaching because Christian leaders are futile unless they are constantly relying on God to fill them. If a Christian leader does not seek God’s guidance they will become drained, and consequently their vision will become distorted, like looking through a black veil.
Vision is a vital quality of Christian leadership, this makes pride so deadly to Christian leaders because it distorts this vision. Hybel states that “…vision is the God-given ability to see possible solutions to the problems of everyday life” (42). The quote, ““[the veil] probably did not intercept his sight, farther than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things.” (637) shows the way pride leads to a negative change in perspective. This is also seen in the way Hawthorne describes Mr. Hooper’s reading of the scriptures, “…it [the black veil] threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures; and while he prayed, the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance.” (637). The scriptures can be used to give a Christian leader a positive perspective on life, if they are willing to view them with a humble countenance. Scriptures can give Christian leaders positive guidelines for how to view themselves and how to view them around them. Pride severely corrupts the positive effects of scripture in the lives of Christians because as it says in Mark 4:12, “…they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding…”. A prideful person can read the scriptures, but never grow from reading them because they are too afraid to allow the message of scripture to affect them.
This change in perspective also leads to a heightened sensitivity in criticism. Pride is dangerous to Christian leadership because it uses this heightened sensitivity as an excuse to hide behind the black veil of pride, rather than connecting on a deeper level with others through being genuine. Mr. Hooper’s heightened sensitivity to criticism is seen in the following quote, “…perhaps the pale-faced congregation was almost as a fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them.” (637). Since Mr. Hooper was fearful of the judgment of his congregation, he, “…showed himself face to face with his congregation except for the black veil.” (637).
As a pastor, Mr. Hooper is given the power to influence his congregation. As Bill Hybel says of people in influential positions, “ Your attitudes, behaviors, choices, words, even facial expressions make a difference in people’s everyday lives…Whether for good or for ill, your influence matters greatly…” (11). However, a result of being incognito, Mr. Hooper wasted the opportunity to positively affect his congregation. This is seen particularly in Mr. Hooper’s sermon about “secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them.” (638). Mr. Hooper has the opportunity to be vulnerable with his congregation because it is clear through his conversation with his fiancé Elizabeth that he has personal experience with the struggle of secret sins. When Elizabeth encourages him, “For the sake of your holy office, do away with this scandal [of hidden sin]!” (641), he neither confirms nor denies its existence, but justifies his decision saying, “…if I cover [my face] for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” (641). If Mr. Hooper had humbled himself before his congregation and exposed his own personal sin, however, there would have been a more lasting effect on his congregation. As soon as his congregation, “lost sight of the black veil” (638), the influence of the message was gone.
Another way pride corrupts Christian leadership, is by preventing genuine se-examination.

This emphasis on self-examination in leadership is seen in many leadership books. According to John Baldoni, “The courage of self-examination can lead to heightened self-awareness that results in leadership actions that benefit not only the leader but the entire organization.” (1). Hawthorne’s interaction between the black veil and the mirror show how a lack of this self-examination leads to bondage, “In truth, his own antipathy to the veil was known to be so great, that he never willingly passed before a mirror…, lest, in its peaceful bosom, he should be affrighted himself.” (642). The mirror in this passage represents the importance of being courageous enough to self-reflect. Mr. Hopper was too afraid of what he would see in the mirror, so instead of being courageous he continued to be oppressed by his own pride. Although the veil is seemingly confident in its abilities to control Mr. Hopper, even it has vulnerabilities. If Mr. Hopper were to look at himself in the mirror and see the evil cloaked upon his face, he would surely be inclined to throw off this horrible beast. As long as Mr. Hooper is kept from self-examination, he can continue to be molded in the image of the black

veil.
Finally pride is deadly to Christian leadership because it distorts the perception of other people.

It is difficult to tell who a person truly is when they are masked by pride which makes it difficult for people to trust them. The first time someone recognizes this disfiguration in Mr. Hopper’s life is in Goodman Gray’s question, “Are you sure this is our parson?” (636).This question can immediately be taken as an observation of physical change, however, a closer look reveals a more metaphorical purpose. In this quote, Goodman Gray is going beyond seeing a lack of physical recognition, but is actually talking about how the very being of Mr. Hopper changed. This is clarified in Goodman Gray’s next quote, “ I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hopper’s face was behind that piece of crape…”

(637).
Hawthorne’s work The Minister’s Black Veil demonstrates the five ways pride corrupts Christian leadership, it gives the leader a false idea of control, it distorts vision, changes perspective, prevents genuine self-examination, and distorts perception of others. A combination of these five effects leads to ineffective leadership and an overall poor quality of life. Hawthorne concludes Mr. Hooper’s life as such, “ …Mr. Hooper spent a long life irreproachable in outward act, yet shrouded in dismal suspicious; kind and loving, though unloved and dimly feared; a man apart from men, shunned in their health and joy, but ever summoned to their aid in moral anguish” ( 643).