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A
STUDY OF AUTHORITARIAN CHURCH
LEADERSHIP AND THE
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM OF CHURCH MEMBERs
This
discussion paper looks at the nature of authority within the local church.
It attempts to answer two key questions: What
kind of authority is biblically acceptable and unacceptable in the church?
To what extent should
the leadership of a church control or limit the freedom of its members?
It
is my prayer that this paper may encourage believers everywhere to hold
to a God-given faith and not to a man-made religion. NOTE: Church
capitalized refers to (1) all believers of all ages whether on earth
or in heaven, and (2) the whole company of the redeemed on earth at
the present time. The word in lower case means a particular local
church or any group of believers who meet in any place for worship and
fellowship. 1
Preface
This discussion paper was prepared in response to a request from Cultwatch who expressed concern at the authoritarian and legalistic leadership of some evangelical/ charismatic/ Pentecostal churches. This paper assumes that each individual believer has the right of private judgement by the Word of God, as to what of church practice and belief and teaching is God's truth, and what is not. It also questions the practice of denying the individual believer freedom of choice in the matters of conscience that Paul discusses in Romans chapter 14. It
is understood that the reader accepts the final and supreme authority
of Scripture in spiritual matters, rather than that of church tradition,
or a particular church leader’s interpretation of Scripture. All
Christians should measure what they are taught against the infallible
Word of God which is “able
to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed.” (2
Timothy 3:15-16). Only healthy doctrine can lead to healthy living. Discernment may be simply defined as the ability to biblically decide between right and wrong, between truth and error, between good and evil. The New Testament teaches in 1 Corinthians 14:29, Philippians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and in 1 John 4:1, that it is the responsibility of every Christian to exercise discernment. Failure to discern between error and truth leaves the Christian immature, and vulnerable to false teaching and deception. The
author is a retired secondary school teacher who has no formal theological
training. I do not pretend to be infallible and I welcome criticisms,
corrections and additions to this paper. i prefer the hard question
to the easy answer. The bibliography at the end of the paper reflects
not only my research but also my indebtedness to others. While
the English-speaking world is blessed with many good translations of
the New Testament, no single translation can bring out the different
nuances of the Greek. Therefore
this paper uses word studies to adequately understand the Word of God,
as well as using a variety of translations.
Scripture passages are taken from the NIV of the Bible unless
otherwise indicated. Jim
Peacock MA (Hons), Diploma of Teaching.
2
Contents
1
Preface
3
Overview
4 Introduction: Some Disturbing Trends In New Zealand ChurchesTo members of some churches the focusing question, “To what extent should the leadership of a church control or limit the freedom of its members?” may seem unimportant, irrelevant, and even puzzling. For these Christians, the question is simply a non-issue given their complete freedom in Christ to live the Christian life as they themselves see best, without any undue pressure to conform from their church leadership. These believers are more blessed than they realize. However, for many members of evangelical/Pentecostal/charismatic churches, especially those churches that steadfastly remain independent of any external system of accountability, the above question is pertinent to their daily experience of the Christian life. These members of the body of Christ frequently suffer from authoritarian and dogmatic leaders who use various mind control techniques, and misinterpretations of the Bible, to gain a submissive and passive congregation. False shepherds have made a mess of the lives of many believers and their relationships. To these Christians, the above focusing question assumes vital significance and importance. Regrettably, there has been the spectacular moral failure of prominent Christian leaders who have left behind bewildered and upset congregations. The combined result of spiritually abusive authoritarian leadership and the moral lapse of a few high profile church leaders, is the phenomenon of hundreds, if not thousands, of hurt believers in New Zealand who do not attend church regularly, if at all. These wounded believers have suffered much disappointment through misplaced trust in church leaders who have failed to meet Scriptural standards of behaviour. These disillusioned saints claim to have given up on the institutional church, but not to have given up their personal faith in God through Christ. Others have become impatient with the church as an institution and desire to experience the church as a true community of faith. In addition, there is the phenomenon of many such hurting believers who transfer their allegiance from one church to another (like swinging voters in a general election) in a hopeful effort to find a safe church home free from spiritual abuse where the leadership has integrity and a Christ-like character. It is likely that all these unfortunate trends have their parallels in other churches in other countries. 5 God Has Absolute Authority: All Other Authority Is Delegated AuthorityThe Bible teaches that the only source of authority in the universe belongs to the Creator. He has ultimate freedom of action; his authority comes from himself alone. Absolute authority belongs to God alone and all other authority is derived and therefore subordinate. In Romans Paul explains that there is no authority except from God “there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (13:1). God established and upholds the principle of government even though some governments and churches do not fulfil his desires. Jesus taught that only God need be feared since he alone has the authority to cast into hell (Luke 12:5). God revealed his authority and power in the person of Jesus. Human beings only have authority as God gives it to them and they must answer to him for the way in which they use it. This is true of the Church as well as of civil government. Examples of delegated authority include parents and their children, masters and their servants, priests serving in the temple, and Christian leaders, as Christ’s servants, with the members of a church. Usually the word “authority” in the NIV and NASB is a translation of the Greek word “exousia”, Strong’s #1849, which means the “power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; leave or permission”.[1] It comes from the verb “exesti”, meaning “it is permitted, it is lawful, it is allowed.” Arndt and Gingrich define “exousia”, as “freedom of choice, right to act or decide”.[2] It signifies liberty or freedom to act or the power to decide. The main idea in the word is an unrestricted freedom of choice. Later it came to be used for “right” or “authority”. When used of secular authorities, “exousia” usually means the “power to give orders.” Jesus delegated authority to his disciples (Mark 3:15; 6:7; Luke 9:1; 10:19) but this was authority over demons and disease. Luke records, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.” (9:1). No passage suggests freedom to exercise control over other human beings. Rather the freedom of choice of those the disciples were sent to was protected. Jesus said, “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." (Mark 6:11) Again, “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.” (Luke 10:8) An important incident recorded in three gospels (Matthew 20, Mark 10 and Luke 22) gave Jesus an opportunity to instruct his disciples on servant leadership within the Church. These passages and others suggest that the authority of Christian leaders does not include the right to control the actions and choices of their fellow believers. Whatever authority a leader has, he or she has it by the call of God and by the grace of God. That authority is not to be used to domineer but to serve and to build. (See the section 8 Human Leadership In The Church Should Follow The Example Of Jesus Christ ) Although Jesus delegated “exousia” or authority to his disciples, their freedom of action did not mean the right to coerce or manipulate people. Jesus was careful never to act this way himself. He did not pressurize; rather he invited his hearers to believe and obey. For example, in the parable of the lost sons in Luke 15, the loving father, who represents God, did not try to dissuade his prodigal son from leaving home. Also Jesus simply said to the rich young ruler, “Come, follow me." (Mark 10:21); he did not try to pressurize him into becoming a disciple. 6
The Church Is A Charismatic Community Of God’s People
6.1
What Is The Church?
The English word “church” comes from the Greek adjective “kyrikon” which means “belonging to the Lord.” The noun form of this word means “the Lord’s house” and refers to a place of Christian worship. Some denominations and some sects claim to trace their history back to the NT Church. Other denominations have claimed that the original church disappeared through compromise or corruption and that their particular group is a restoration of the only true church. Some make a distinction between the “visible Church” which includes all who profess faith in Christ, whether genuine or not, and the “invisible Church”, made up of true believers, who are justified by faith in Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation. The
Bible describes the Church in a variety of ways as: the body of Christ,
the bride of Christ; the shepherd and the sheep; the cornerstone or
Foundation and the stones of a holy temple; the High Priest and the
kingdom of priests; the vine and the branches, and the living temple
of the Holy Spirit. These
are metaphors and not definitions.
These images suggest a living relationship of love and unity
between Jesus and his followers. 6.2
“Ekklesia” And “Koinonia”
These two important Greek words in the NT describe the essential nature of the Church. In the NT, “church” translates the Greek word “ekklesia”, Strong’s #1577, “from ek, "out of," and klesis, "a calling" (kaleo, "to call")[3]; it was used by the Greeks of a “gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly.”[4] In classical Greek the term was used mainly for political gatherings. The NT records three occasions of this secular usage of this term in the book of Acts (19:32, 39, 41). It literally means “called out”. It occurs over 100 times in the NT. The term appears in only two verses in the gospels (Matthew 16:8; 18:17). However, Luke uses the term over 20 times in the book of Acts, so by then it must have been more common. It is never used in the NT for a building but only for an assembly of people, usually a local group of believers. The word is a statement of corporate identity. NT lexicons distinguish between: (1) The whole body of believers, or universal Church, as in 1 Corinthians, “And in the church God has appointed.” (12:28) |