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How
should Christians respond to abuse of power in government, business,
or elsewhere? |
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The reality
is that all societies are structured by power. Checks and balances
limit abuses in government, and antitrust laws prevent abuses by
monopolies. Whenever power over others is significantly concentrated
and actions can be covered up, injustice and abuses can occur.
What do we do? Anger is usually our first response, but we cannot
allow it to lead to revenge or depressed isolation. Our attitudes
can expand or restrict the flow of grace in our lives, so we must
be sure our response to abuse of power is not an occasion to get
even humanly but to get ahead spiritually. We must seek from the
Lord the fullness of grace that brings moral clarity, as Daniel
did; that brings perseverance and hope, as David voiced in his psalms;
and that brings a spirit of service to others, as the paralytic’s
friends demonstrated.
Equipped with that reconciling grace of God, we can actively seek
appropriate ways to respond within our abilities and according to
these Rs: we must reveal what is happening, as Amos did;
rebuke the perpetrator, as Samuel did; rescue
the victims, as Moses did; and ensure restoration, as the
prodigal son received, and/or restitution, as Zacchaeus
promised.—rk
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First, we should be saddened
but not surprised. Our theology tells us to expect corruption and
abuse because humans live and act in a fallen world. The proverb “power
tends to corrupt”
is proverbial precisely because it is so obviously true.
Second, when we discover abuse of power, we should avoid an attitude
of moral superiority. After all, the Church has abused power throughout
its history. The Church cannot completely escape the corruption that
power brings. For this reason, we should continually examine our ethos
and practices. We should strive to use power in the service of love
and in a way that is constrained by love. Further, we must be mindful
that the exercise of power in the kingdom of God differs from its
exercise in the fallen world.
Third, we should bear in mind the prophets’
message that God detests the abuse of power. As a result, we—especially
those of us who are Christian leaders—have an obligation to
denounce the abuse of power. We should do everything we can to create
a moral atmosphere in which the abuse of power is condemned and resisted.
More positively, we should support corrective measures and legislative
reforms designed to prevent abuses. This means that Christians have
an obligation to use political power responsibly. The challenge we
face is to use that power to combat abuse while ensuring we do not
fall into the same patterns of abuse.—smp |
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This
month’s
Editor’s Forum: |
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rk—Ron
Kirkemo
is professor of political science at Point Loma Nazarene University.
smp—Samuel
M. Powell
is professor of philosophy and religion at Point Loma Naza-rene University. |
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