Redeeming Power

Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church

Langberg, Diane

• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781493427567
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Power has a God-given role in human relationships and institutions, but it can lead to abuse when used in unhealthy ways. Speaking into current #MeToo and #ChurchToo conversations, this book shows that the body of Christ desperately needs to understand the forms power takes, how it is abused, and how to respond to abuses of power. Although many Christians want to prevent abuse in their churches and organizations, they lack a deep and clear-eyed understanding of how power actually works. Internationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg offers a clinical and theological framework for understanding how power operates, the effects of the abuse of power, and how power can be redeemed and restored to its proper God-given place in relationships and institutions. This book not only helps Christian leaders identify and resist abusive systems but also shows how they can use power to protect the vulnerable in their midst.

Part 1: Power Defined

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The Source and Purpose of Power

The dynamics of power are ever present in my Christian psychology practice. Power can be a source of blessing, but when it is abused, untold damage to the body and name of Christ, often in the name of Christ, is done. For the sake of that body and that wonderful name, I believe we need to wrestle with the issue of power and understand how it can be used for healing or harm, for good or evil. I invite you to look with me more closely at what power is, where it comes from, and the impact it has on all of us. Power is inherent in being human. Even the most vulnerable among us have power. How we use it or withhold it determines our impact on others.

Sarah is tiny and very frail, only four days old. She knows nothing about herself or the world in which she has landed. She has no words. She cannot effectively use her body to go anywhere. Something does not feel right. She doesn’t know what is wrong, or why it is wrong, or how to tend to her own distress. Alone and in the dark, she cries. And she has power. Two exhausted, sleeping adults, jolted from their comfortable bed and much-needed rest, quickly head toward the cry. She has disrupted two people who can use words, who know what they want as well as what she needs, and who can move their bodies as they choose. They understand the tiny one’s cry and they respond, tossing aside how they feel, along with their preference for sleep. They choose to get up and comfort the little one and feed her with attention, love, and milk. In comparison to Sarah, these adults wield an astounding amount of power, and they choose to use their power to bless her with their care.

Our English word power (Latin: posse, meaning “be able”) means “having the capacity to do something, to act or produce an effect, to influence people or events, or to have authority.” It also has harsher meanings: to master, dominate, coerce, or force. By our sheer presence in this world, we, God’s image bearers, have power. The four-day-old infant has the power to rouse independent grown-ups out of a greatly desired and much-needed sleep. The reverse is also true: those grown-ups have obvious power over the infant. They can respond with attention and care or with anger at being disturbed. They can withhold care and respond with neglect and silence. The infant influences the adults. The adult responses affect the child. The power of the vulnerable infant to express her needs exposes the hearts of the more powerful adults. Over time, their habituated response to the infant shapes not only the infant’s personhood but also the hearts of the adults. Our responses to the vulnerable expose who we are. This is an important principle to keep in mind as we consider the use—and misuse—of power.

Anyone remotely in touch with today’s news has some awareness of how power can be used for good and for evil. We read about authoritarian tyrants and about people being tortured and imprisoned for their faith or for criticizing their government. We also read about people who give sacrificially to those who need help, spending days to search for a lost child or devoting time, money, and effort to rescue those trafficked by others. Both lists are endless. Every human life is a force in this world. Our influence pours out perpetually. But if those in authority refuse to help others, turn a deaf ear, and harden themselves to the needs of others, then rejection, not care, becomes the predominant influence.

Power in the Genesis Story

What is the source of our power as humans? In Genesis, we read about how God invested humans with power. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (1:26–27 NASB). God made humans who bear his likeness and told them to rule. In Hebrew, the word rule means “to have dominion” or “to dominate.” What did God tell them to rule over? Over the fish, the birds, the cattle, the whole earth, and every creeping thing. Note the stunning omission in God’s directive: nowhere does he call humans to rule over each other! The man is not told to rule over the woman; neither is the woman to rule over the man. They are to rule together, in a duet, over all else God has created. They are to take the power God granted them and use it for good. Together. Genesis 1:28 continues with God telling humans to “fill the earth, and subdue it.” Subdue means “to conquer,” “to subjugate,” or “to keep under.” God created a one-flesh union and called that union of male and female to rule and subdue the earth, not each other.

Genesis 1 also tells us that God called Adam and Eve to fruitfulness. “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’” (v. 28 NASB). How do we do that? Obviously, humans who are fruitful increase their power simply by creating more humans. But humans are also meant to be fruitful in all areas of life. In essence, God created us to multiply his image and likeness in everything we do. God created humans in his own image, in his likeness. Power was given to humans, who reflected the God who made them. And what do we know about this God? He is good; he is faithful; he is a refuge; he is truth; he is love. So, God gave human beings power in order that they might bear God’s character in the world. And God blessed them; he pronounced a benediction over them and called them to be fruitful and multiply, to bear his likeness and bless the earth. Together.

We all know what happened after that. A cunning, deceptive creature who had utterly rejected the power of God and any likeness to him came and deceived the humans using God’s own words. “You want to be like God? You want to be in his likeness? You want the ability to judge between good and evil? You can have that by choosing what he has denied you.” And like the enemy, humans subsequently exercised their power to choose against God; they took what appeared good to them and fed themselves with it. The deception of promised good led them to choose disobedience to God. They used their power to choose evil when that power ought to have borne the likeness of God and been used to choose good. They wanted what they were meant to have: likeness to God. They wanted to discern good from evil. What they saw with their eyes appealed to their longings and their highest goal. But they took their God-given power and exercised it against him, deceived into believing they were choosing him.

They who bore the character of God used power in a way that gave them a likeness to the enemy of God. Like the king of Babylon, they said, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14 NIV). They forgot that any likeness to God was instilled by God himself. Such a likeness cannot be humanly created. Their power was used not to bless but to harm, not just others but themselves as well. The abused power of the man and the woman produced outcomes that have rolled down from generation to generation, infecting us all.

Power of Personhood

To grasp the impact of power, we must have a sense of what a human is. Some concepts that have arisen out of my work with trauma victims may be helpful here.1

First, to be human is to have a voice. The voice of God spoke everything into existence. To be created in his image is to have a self, to have a voice and creative expression. Abuse of power silences that self and the words, feelings, thoughts, and choices of the victim. Their desires are disregarded and irrelevant. Abuse of any kind is always damaging to the image of God in humans. The self is shattered, fractured, and silenced and cannot speak who it is into the world.

Second, to be human is to be in relationship. We were created in relationship to God himself and to one another. God entered this world in the flesh to reestablish a relationship that was broken. His image is reflected in relationship. Humans long for safe relationship. Abusive power violates and shatters relationship. It brings betrayal, fear, humiliation, loss of dignity, and shame. It isolates, endangers, creates barriers, and destroys bonds. It destroys empathy, trashes safety, and severs connection. Abusive power has a profound impact on our relationship with God and with others. Victims of abuse often view God through a gravely distorted lens, seeing him as the source of the evil they experience. The violation and destruction of faith at times of tremendous suffering is one of the greatest tragedies of the abuse of power.

Third, to be human is to have power and to shape the world. As we have seen, our Creator called us to rule and subdue. Those are power words. Go have impact; go make things grow; go change things. Abuse quashes and removes power. A victim feels useless, powerless, and ineffective, and the loss of dignity and purpose is profound. We are meant to work, to make things happen, to make things change simply because we are here. These aspects of voice, relationship, and power are rooted in the character of God.

Types of Human Power

There are many types of power. Verbal power involves using words, often in artful ways, to manage situations and control others. Verbally gifted humans can use words to bless others or to do terrible, long-lasting damage. A related kind of power we rarely think about is silence. Silence can be a wonderful gift. Silence can also be a weapon. The sting of silence used to punish or ignore goes very deep.

Emotional power is often, though not always, paired with verbal power. Emotions can be used to comfort another with empathy or to control what people say and do, often intimidating and silencing them. The power of anger or rage can terrify a human being, with or without words.

Power can manifest itself in physical size or strength. If one person weighs 220 pounds and another weighs 85 pounds, the power differential is obvious. The bigger can easily injure or crush the smaller. Physical presence can be powerful in other ways too. We have all known someone who was not larger than everyone else but whose presence could fill a room. That power of personality can control a room, a company, and even a country.

People with specialized knowledge can wield great power, speaking authoritatively and expecting what they say to be accepted because they “know.” Positions of authority confer power. If I am a president, a coach, a doctor, or a professor, my job gives me the right to say and do many things; the circle of my “ruling and subduing” is larger than most. Depending on my position and the way it is understood, I may use that power to justify many wrong things and overreach extensively, particularly if I’m a respected authority figure.

Like silence, absence also has great power. Do you remember playing the trust game as a child? Your friend stood behind you, and you were supposed to fall backward and trust that they would catch you. It was a bit scary. The absence of your friend, their failure to “show up,” could mean injury. A parent who turns a blind eye to sexual abuse is absent when desperately needed. The result will be deep damage. The emotional absence of a spouse is deeply wounding. On the other hand, the refusal to join in with a group of bullies is a powerful and positive absence for the one being bullied.

Another type of power that some people wield is economic power. Money can buy many things in this world, and one of those things is power. That power can be used wisely and graciously—or it can be used to manipulate, control, and terrify.

Spiritual power is yet another kind of power that can be dangerous unless it is exercised in obedience to God. This form of power is used to control, manipulate, or intimidate others to meet one’s own needs or the needs of a particular organization, often by using words cloaked in nice-sounding spiritual language and concepts.

Finally, our cultures, families, tribes, secular and religious communities, and nations all have tremendous power in shaping our minds and lives. Culture is like oxygen—it’s always there, but we do not see it; it’s simply what is. Experiencing a different culture of worship, food, or dress can be a shock. Culture can be wonderfully enriching. It can also be full of arrogance, prejudice, and division, so we must pay close attention and use our power and abilities to see and to think before swallowing the messages of our culture whole.

We will consider these kinds of power in much greater depth throughout this book. For now, we simply need to understand where power comes from and what its intended purpose is. We also need to be aware of the kinds of power we all have in varying degrees—and that we can use or withhold those powers for good or for evil. Finally, we need to see what it looks like when God-given power is used to bless.

Power Is Derivative

Two passages of Scripture will guide our understanding of a godly use of power. In Matthew 28:18–19, Jesus says, “All authority, all power is given to me; therefore go . . .”2 Jesus holds all authority. That means any little bit of power you and I have is derivative; we are dispatched under his authority. Jesus does not give authority to us; he retains it. He is sending us out under his authority to carry out his enterprises in his way. Every drop of power you and I hold is shared power, given to us by the One who holds it all. It is not ours. It is his. He has shared what is rightfully his with us.

Are you verbally powerful? The Word gave you that power. Are you physically powerful? The mighty God, who breaks down strongholds and sustains the universe, gave you that power. Do you have a powerful position? It is from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Do you have power of knowledge or skill? The Creator God, whose ways are beyond finding out, gave that power to you. Do you hold emotional power with others? That power came from the Comforter, the Wonderful Counselor. Do you have great financial power? If so, it is merely a small portion from the One who holds all riches. Any power that you and I hold is God’s and has been given to us by him for the sole purpose of glorifying him and blessing others. If all power is derivative, then Christians should hold it with great humility. We are creatures, no more and no less. We follow the One who became flesh. Jesus models for us the humility of power.

In the second passage, we see that while Jesus was on earth, he said, “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing” (John 5:19 NIV). The state of heart manifested by the Son of the Father should abound in those of us who follow him. We tout our own teachings, our own writings, our own organizations, and our own reputations. But Jesus did nothing of the sort. We seek a share of the glory and the power for ourselves. He humbled himself before both God and humans and became a servant. We seek to build our own little kingdoms. He came to build the Father’s kingdom. God gives power to us as his creatures to be held in trust. Its purpose is to bless. If we understand the nature of power, both its source and its dangers, we will walk humbly before others, for our Master has said that if we would be chief, if we would lead and impact others, then we must serve. Before telling his disciples that he was sending them, Jesus said, “Look at my hands. Look at my feet” (Luke 24:39 NLT). These are the marks of his humility, the insignia of his authority, the visible evidence that he came to serve, not to be served. Those who follow him, endowed with his power, are called to go the way of the cross.

Power Comes from Our Hearts

Godly power starts in the kingdom of our hearts, is expressed in the flesh, and then moves out into the world. We make the mistake of seeing power as an external force. But power is not about having rule over a church, or a parishioner, or an institution, or a country. It’s internal, not external. God’s kingdom is the kingdom of the heart, not the kingdom of our churches, institutions, missions, or schools. God is building his kingdom, not ours, and he does that by exercising authority over the human heart to the extent that it is filled with the Spirit of Christ. That is godly power. And when we are full of God’s power internally, we bring life and light and grace and truth and love into all our external enterprises, both great and small. God’s kingdom grows, and he is glorified.

Any time we use power to damage or use a person in a way that dishonors God, we fail in our handling of the gift he has given. Any time we use power to feed or elevate ourselves, we fail in our care of the gift. Our power is to be governed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Any use that is n...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Prelude
• Part 1: Power Defined
• Part 2: Power Abused
• Part 3: Power Redeemed
• Postlude
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Author Bio
• Back Cover