CHURCH AND POWER

 A few days ago, a colleague in ministry requested a recommendation. His request was among similar requests from persons wanting favorable opinions. Persons requesting recommendations believe that the persons from whom recommendations are requested have the capacity to influence.

One’s capacity to influence is a basic description of power. To a greater or lesser degree, everyone has the capacity to influence, which means everyone has power. The problem is that few persons are aware of the power they possess. Some believe power is evil and therefore should not be acknowledged. As a result, many persons live feeling powerless internally, yet are expected to display power externally.

Honestly, we all have power, especially persons entrusted with leadership roles. Unfortunately, many leaders do not understand the sources of power and as a result do not understand how to exercise power responsibly.

In his book, Just Ministry: Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministers, Richard Gula, shares six primary sources of power. The first he refers to as POSITIONAL POWER. This is power that comes with a position or title. The position provides a platform for influencing others.

Gula cites PERSONAL POWER as a second source of primary power. This refers to the possession of specific competencies. For instance, gifts, personality, knowledge, privilege and education. We acquire some of these assets at birth and others through unique opportunities.

I would refer to the other source as SACRED WEIGHT. The power we carry when our role formally places us in a position to represent God. We symbolize something beyond mere human knowledge. We represent God’s presence, even if we feel inadequate for the task.

PROJECTED POWER is the power other people unconsciously project onto us. Others sometimes project their unmet needs and unresolved issues, in hopes that we will meet those needs and help them resolve those issues. As a general principle, the more distressed a person is, the more invisible power he or she is likely to project onto a leader.

Our RELATIONAL POWER grows as people entrust to us their fears and secrets. Sometimes we stand with people in their most vulnerable moments. We listen to painful experiences and at times unimaginable evils. These we hold in confidence. Each time we are entrusted with one of these moments, it adds to our power base.

CULTURAL POWER might include everything from age and race to gender, ethnicity and ranking within families. In my own upbringing, I was taught to respect the contribution of older persons, including older siblings. In many countries men carry more power than women. Sadly, the colour of one’s skin and or ethnicity conveys a greater or lesser amount of power. Each of these factors impacts one’s ability to influence others.

According to Peter Scazzero, “emotionally healthy leaders are keenly aware of the sources of their power as well as the nuances in their use of power” (The Emotionally Healthy Leader). Scazzero contends we should identify and own the sources of power that apply to us. However, we do not affirm our power in order to flaunt it before others. Neither do we deny power as though ignorance is humility. Then, how should we handle power?

Jesus answered that question in his strategy of humility and sacrificial service. In the world, Jesus says leaders throw their weight around – “but it is not so with you…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:42-43). Jesus demonstrated power, not by force or control, but by humbly washing the feet of his disciples and by dying on a cross – humility and sacrifice.

Simply put, we have power. However, we must use that power to empower the powerless. Like Jesus, that requires a posture of humility. Humility is not a surrender of power. Rather, it is strength to control power, in order to accomplish unselfish gain. Some may contend that that looks more like personal weakness. It is through that apparent weakness, God’s strength blossoms.

Interestingly, the New Testament often mentions about God “tabernacling” or taking up residence in the weaknesses of his people. Why would God do this? The apostle provides two reasons. Firstly, “…so that no one may boast before him” and secondly, “that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (2 Corinthians 1:28-2:5).

Honestly, if I am the only one to benefit from the power I have as a leader, then I am guilty of abuse of power. My power should benefit the powerless and bring glory to Jesus who replaces human imaginations of power with his strength.

King's Letter From Prison

I just finished reading two letters. Both letters were written in April 1963. The first entitled, “A Call for Unity”, was written by eight Alabama clergymen to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The second letter was Dr. King’s reply, entitled, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”.

Allow me to provide the background that warranted the writing of the letters. African Americans were living under some of the most horrendous conditions. Their churches and homes were being firebombed. Jim Crow laws prevented them from sharing with whites in various public settings - their sense of worth was denied.

Civil rights leaders peacefully protested the injustices of segregation. In order to protest, even peacefully, it was necessary to break Alabama’s segregation laws. In responding to this situation, the eight clergymen wrote to Dr. King. Their letter was “an appeal for law and order and common sense.”

They asked for the discontinuation of the protests. They cautioned that the demonstrations were providing opportunities for others to become violent. Hence, in order to avoid possible violence, discontinue the demonstrations; obey the law and resort to dialog with the authorities.

Dr. King’s response from the Birmingham City Jail should be read by everyone interested in civil discourse. The spirit and tone of the letter is a lesson in civility and Christian grace. As he came to the end of the ten-page document (single-space), he said, “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.”

Other than the tone of the letter, Dr. King’s response was well-reasoned, biblical and sensitive to needs of hurting people. Although he never challenged the good intentions of the clergymen, he clearly challenged their devotion to “order” at the expense of “justice”. In essence, the clergymen were asking that their peace be maintained, as peace was delayed and denied for others.

The clergymen believed Dr. King’s peaceful demonstrations were tantamount to extremism. To this charge, he reminded them that Jesus was an extremist for love. He called for a radical reaction to opposition – “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 KJV).

As though that were not radical enough, Dr. King went on to cite the Old Testament prophet Amos. He was an extremist for justice when he said, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

For Dr. King, the issue was not merely being branded as extremist, “but rather, what kind of extremists we will be.” He went on to ask, “Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?”

Quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, Dr. King contended, “any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” As such, all segregation laws were unjust – they damaged human personality. “Segregation gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.”

Here we are, almost 57 years since those letters were written and no one cares to know the names of those clergymen. However, Dr. King’s name and contribution are known around the world – as a matter of fact, to be able to honor his birthday with a national holiday speaks volumes.

In an article on the meaning of the holiday, the King Center website states that “the King holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.”

This week we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood King so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.

As we celebrate this week, culminating with the federal holiday on Monday, January 20, we have much for which to be thankful, much has been accomplished in race relations in America. Let us stop looking to others and ask, what more can I do to help?

She’s Still Sleeping...

Christine went to sleep on Monday, May 07, 2018 – she has not awakened yet. However, the following day she was pronounced dead. Some four years earlier, my sister-in-law Christine Baugh was diagnosed with colon cancer. She fought the curse with a variety of treatments, but eventually succumbed. Between my wife and I, she was the last sibling, but her youth was not enough to stave off the monster called death.

Although Christine will not be attending any more of our family gatherings, I will refer to her passing as sleep. Not because I do not want to accept the fact that she has gone, but rather, because the New Testament refers to her passing as sleep. Years earlier, Christine committed her life to Jesus Christ and was described as a Christian. Her faith informed her life.

Long before the New Testament writers were using sleep as a metaphor to describe death, Old Testament writers were doing the same. Death was associated with lying down to rest. From ancient history we learn that sleep was also used as a metaphor for death in Greek mythology.

Both Jesus and Paul would have been familiar with the ancient use of sleep as a metaphor for death. Jesus illustrates this in the story of Lazarus. Hear the gist of the story: ‘After Jesus had said this, He went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. So then He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead …’ (John 11:11-14 NIV).

In using the metaphor of sleep, Jesus was teaching His disciples that there are similarities between sleep and the physical death of people of faith. As alluded to earlier, sleep implies rest. There is a discontinuation of the routine. Sleep is a naturally recurring physical and mental state of rest during which a person becomes inactive and unaware of the environment.

There is no doubt that sleep is good for you. Even the Bible teaches about the blessing of sleep (Psalm 127:2). After four years of fighting cancer and watching my sister-in-law change beyond recognition, it was good for her to experience a long sleep. The same could be said of the five other close friends who passed away in the last month. Eternal rest meant freedom from the pain and discomfort that ravaged their bodies.

Sleep is essential to our emotional and physical wellbeing. It is a time during which the body can rest, and the mind can sort things out. Each stage of sleep provides different benefits to our physiological and emotional health. Some stages of sleep help us to feel rested, whereas others help us learn or make memories. Some describe sleep as an opportunity for the brain to perform “housekeeping” tasks, such as organizing long-term memory, integrating new information, and repairing and renewing cells and tissues.

In essence, sleep prepares us for the next phase - it is a preparatory period. The period the Apostle Paul called the hope of the believer. Without this hope, Paul contends that the Christian life is futile (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Because of this hope we do not grieve like those who have no hope.

New believers in Thessalonica were quite concerned when they saw their loved ones dying. The grieving ones thought that the deceased were lost. Paul responded to that concern in one of his letters when he wrote: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

While attempting to inform and encourage believers, Paul was identifying a category of persons “who have no hope”. They do not share a worldview that believes there is a reality beyond passing away. They consistently refer to passing away as death, not sleep. For them, death does not only mean the cessation of life, but the cessation of opportunity and hope.

Paul further contends that the Christian worldview is not a mere philosophy of life. It is a reality rooted in the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is how Paul describes it – “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

That belief is what has enabled us to cope with the passing of our darling Christine. Agreed, there is a sense of loss in that she no longer shares our space. However, like Paul, we believe she is asleep and will rise again. How do I know she will rise again? Well, it happened to Jesus. According to Paul, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

A Tribute To Women of Courage!

Sandra Green, a Florida mother turned-in her 18-year-old son to the police. She recognized him on surveillance video in connection with a home burglary.

Clearwater police released footage showing three teenagers breaking into a home. They were stealing headphones, sports memorabilia and a pair of Michael Jordan-brand sneakers. Days later, Sandra Green saw the video and said she was “heartbroken” to see that her son was one of the three people wanted.

“I was heartbroken because I know I didn’t raise him like that,” she told a television station. “I told him, ‘Come home, take your shower, get something to eat, I am about to take you over there to Clearwater, and turn you in." Clearwater police arrested the young man and charged him with burglary and grand theft.

The mother told a judge she wanted her son to be put on probation with the requirement that he get back on the path to graduate from high school. “He is not hardcore. I feel like he will break tonight. But I want to make sure that it sinks in.”

Throughout the life of a mother, she is confronted with difficult decisions. The difficulty often increases as children grow. For career women, many abandon career ambitions and accept the new challenges of motherhood. Others surrender economic stability and opt for developing character and value in their children. Simply put, mothers make huge personal sacrifices in attempting to nurture their offspring. Sometimes that passion to produce excellence in their children forces them to make tough decisions, all in the interest of their children.

That passion for character development prompted another mother to also turn her son in to the police. Lakesha Robinson was at her son’s school for a parent-teacher conference. She noticed his attention was on a cell phone that she didn’t recognize. She said, “what are you doing with this phone? Whose phone is this?”

He told his mother that the cell phone was given to him by a friend, but she wasn’t buying his story; therefore, she conducted her own investigation and uncovered the real owner of the phone.

The owner told the mother-of-three that his car was broken into and his cellphone, wallet, and credit cards had been stolen. He went on to say that his credit cards had been used at McDonald’s and Walmart. “Since my son had the phone, it’s obvious that he knows something about this theft.” But, when she asked her son about the burglary, he denied it – that’s when she continued her investigation. A McDonald’s bag, a Walmart bag, and a receipt were found inside her home and she called the cell phone owner to see if the amounts matched his statements.

The mother arranged a meeting with the owner and returned his property. Afterward, the Florida mother didn’t hesitate to turn her son in for burglary because of her own criminal background. She did not want her son to make the same mistakes she did before changing her life. Her son was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center for 12 hours and charged with four counts of burglary.

As I reflect on Mother’s Day 2018, I am forced to recall experiences with the mothers I know best – my own mother, my wife who mothered three, and our daughter who is mothering four. These three women, representing three different generations have taught me much. Each of these women displayed toughness in their parenting. They sacrificed much, displayed tenderness, but never surrendered toughness. Thankfully, none of these women have had to report their children to the police.

At this time of year, I salute them – I salute each of them because, in their mothering, they cared more for the character than the image of their children. I salute these women because their passion for Jesus is greater than their passion for religion. The words of the Proverbs 31 woman ably describe each of them – “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” (Proverbs 31:29). Happy Mother’s Day!

Laugh Out Loud!

When last have you had a good laugh? Did you know that laughter is good for you? When we laugh we stretch muscles throughout our face and body. As a matter of fact, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.

Some psychologists believe, laughing is one way in which we express our true selves. We may learn how to walk, stand, sit, and eat properly, but when we genuinely laugh, we lay all pretense aside as our carefully polished image goes right out the window.

A researcher from Vanderbilt University, conducted a study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10 to 15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories. William Fry, a pioneer in laughter research, claimed “it took 10 minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.”

The focus on the benefits of laughter really began with Norman Cousin's memoir, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins, who was diagnosed with a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies helped him feel better. He said that 10 minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep. The bottom line, laughter is good for you.

However, in affirming the value of laughter, I am not attempting to justify frivolity, vulgarity or even jokes at another’s expense. The biblical counsel must still be our guide – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

In his book, Laughter: A Scientific Investigation (Penguin Books, 2001), Robert Provine, contends, “laughter has a social function. In the absence of stimulating media (television, radio or books), people are about 30 times more likely to laugh when they are in a social situation than when they are alone.” Indeed, people are more likely to smile or talk to themselves than they are to laugh when they are alone. Aside from the obvious implication that sociality can enhance laughter and perhaps one's mood, these observations strongly suggest that laughter is a social signal.

Laughter binds people together. It synchronizes the brains of speaker and listener, so that they are emotionally attuned. Provine believes that laughter establishes or restores a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection between two people, who literally take pleasure in the company of each other. There is a sense in which levity can defuse anger and anxiety, and in so doing strengthen relationships.

I would tend to agree that laughter is a tool. It is the tool that is often used to build relationships. Professor Provine contends that "laughter is social, so any health benefits might really come from being close with friends and family, and not necessarily from laughter itself."

The Bible encourages laughter, when viewed as a physical expression of joy or cheerfulness. In the book of Proverbs we read, “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).

There is a healing effect when we are joyful, cheerful people. The word used for "joyful" here is the Hebrew word "sameah" which means, 'to be glad, happy, or joyful.' The idea behind this word is that someone is choosing to rejoice - to consider the good that God has done, rather than the misery and the opportunity to be sad and depressed.

Apart from the joy that the cheerful heart brings, the Proverbs text mentions “a crushed spirit as drying-up the bones”. This powerful contrasting imagery has been confirmed in research done by the American Medical Association - if you forcefully restrain a normally active rat, deadly frustration results. The emotional stress produces lethal results.

So, if laughter is a social signal of personal and communal joy, then the question needs to be answered – when last have you had a good laugh? In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that “there is a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). If you have not laughed for a long time, you might need to check-out a therapist – you need help!

Why Bother to Pray?

It is clear in every version of the Bible you read – God knows everything. Jesus went as far as to say to His disciples, “... for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” As Jesus continued teaching, He contended that prayer was not an attempt to inform God. Since that is so, then why bother to pray if God knows everything?

The question strongly implies that prayers are addressed to Someone who has the ability to hear and has the foresight to know the desires of the person praying. In other words, prayer is not simply a mere speech or soliloquy, an exercise in therapeutic self-analysis, or a religious recitation. Prayer would seem to be an attempt to communicate with an intelligent deity – not an inanimate object.

Elijah illustrated that very well in the Old Testament. He challenged the worshippers of Baal to call on their gods to provide fire. There is no evidence that those gods even heard the passionate prayers. For hours the prayer warriors met all the conditions of sincere prayer. What a contrast – when Elijah prayed, he used only sixty Hebrew words and his God responded.

Although Elijah knew that His God knew every detail of what was happening, it was still necessary for him to pray. It would then seem obvious, that when one prays, it is more than merely requesting something from God.

There are at least five reasons why Christians bother to pray. Firstly, because prayer is the channel God chose, for requests to be made to Him. My children can reach me using different means of contact. Prayer is different. Paul reinforces this point in his letter to the Philippians, “... but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Secondly, prayer is a response to God’s invitation. I pray because God invites me to do so. I find it much easier to respond to an invitation from someone who loves me. “Seek the Lord,” says Isaiah, “while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

Like Isaiah, Jeremiah quotes the Lord as saying, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). When I pray, I am responding to an invitation from the Lord, to whom I am praying.

Prayer is a statement of dependence on God. It is an acknowledgement that I cannot handle this one by myself. When authentic, such statements call on us to maintain a posture of brokenness. As King David reflected on his arrogance and pride, and the ruin it brought to himself and others, he concluded, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Authentic prayer is always bathed in a spirit of brokenness.

In the fourth place, prayer provides me with an opportunity to be in contact with God. Jesus knew the value of this contact. Agreed, He was able to calm the storms, forgive sins and heal the blind, yet He needed to maintain contact with His Father. It was Mark who said of Him, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

Even as a leader in a theological environment, with Bibles all around, I need to create a solitary place. Such places provide renewal and tenderizes our tough dispositions.

And now for my final reason why Christians bother to pray – because prayer is the avenue that allows our passion to be expressed – our passion for the prayer-item. To whom do I go when overwhelmed with concern? Prayer is the most meaningful outlet for such passion.

Counseling centers would be overflowing with clients, were it not for prayer. Prayer provides an outlet for the overwhelmed. As he aged and became less impetus, Peter wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Agreed, God knows everything, including the answers to my concerns. Agreed, God could intervene and eliminate the need for my prayers. Most times, He chooses not to intervene in this way and leaves me with the opportunity to pray. That is why I bother to pray.