Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church

by Diane Langberg

Abuse of any kind is always damaging to the image of God in humans.

Positions of authority confer power.

He is sending us out under his authority to carry out his enterprises in his way.

It is not ours. It is his. He has shared what is rightfully his with us.

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 use that is not subject to the Word of God is a wrong use.

Using theological knowledge to manipulate people to achieve our own ends is a wrong use of power. Exploiting our position in the home or the church to get our own way, serve our own ends, crush others, silence them, and frighten them is a wrong use of power. Using our influence or our reputation to get others to further our own ends is a wrong use of power.

Withholding power in the face of sin, abuse, and tyranny is also a wrong use of power.

Silence in the face of such evil can be a kind of abuse of power, for in staying silent about someone else’s pain, we have nullified our God-given power to speak truth.

May we live in dark places, shining the light of Christ on the abuses around us, even when they are in our own circles.

Often exploitation can seem like self-protection.

If you grow up never having experienced a safe relationship, then your capacity for judging safety is highly compromised.

If a woman comes to see you for counseling about her marriage and one day, confused and longing for attention, she stands up and undresses in front of you, what happens next depends entirely on you.

We also need to recognize that we can make choices to serve ourselves or make them under the governance of our God.