One of the qualities of a good Christian leader is the kind of transparency that leads to trust. Jesus Christ is our best example of that. His life and teachings were documented very well, and many people saw and heard how He lived among us. He spent much of His time in public, openly proclaiming the Kingdom of God. He made it obvious that He was human, getting tired, hungry, and thirsty, suffering pain, being tempted, etc. He openly proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven both with authoritative words and perfect actions.
What about privacy and confidentiality? Isn’t that sort of the opposite of transparency? The Lord Jesus also spent time in private, in prayer, and in rest. He also spent more time with his closest students, and explained and showed more to them than to the larger crowds, explaining things to them that He chose not to explain to the larger groups. (He still does that, through His Holy Spirit.) Some things may not be appropriate for the larger group for various reasons and at various times. Jesus also needed time spent alone with His Father, to tune in to exactly what the Father’s heart held for Him. So do I.
We should not live totally transparently and in public, lest you lack intimacy with God. Nor should we live in total privacy, lest we lose our ability to be a witness for Jesus Christ to those around us. It is not either/or. It is another balancing act. 🙂