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Tyranny – Yes, But…

‘Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. Luke 22:25-26

Recent conversations and further pondering about tyranny have delayed writing a cost/benefit analysis of tyranny. Maybe next time.

Conclusions regarding Luke22:25-26:

  • When Jesus says “…kings of the Gentiles lord it over them…” he is describing tyranny :cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.
  • Jesus is unequivocal about what that means for his disciples —you are not to be like that. Full stop!
  • The only alternative Jesus presents is :…”the greatest among you should be like be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves”…

I am not a Biblical scholar and a proper exegesis of the passage could very well alter my understanding. I welcome any input. Until then, I continue to preach the “truth”. Tyranny is not an option for Christ followers. Our only option is Jesus’ way: …be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves“; which, for me, requires more understanding.

In recent conversation with several men, I had the opportunity to “preach”, asserting much of what I wrote in this POST about tyranny.
Recalling the conversation, I stated without qualification “lord it over” is not an option for Christ followers.
Responses came quickly. No one voiced objection to “lord it over” not being an option. What I heard was —YES, but..

In a society (church) where men assume authority, power and control is a birthright, if not a requirement to be a man; excluding “lord it over” is incomprehensible.
Christians’ (not just men) mitigation of Jesus’ “…you are not to be like that…” reveals the leverage principalities and powers have on our lives. Choosing power and control is the default for tyrants.

What I heard was not surprising. The “but’s”1 BUT- except, excepting, besides, beside, other than, except for, excluding, saving, bar, outside, apart from, barring, save, exclusive of, outside of, aside from were familiar, echoing my own sentiments when wrestling with no lording it over. Disagreement was encouraging , only wrestling with Jesus will reveal truth and show us the way.

Yes Jesus … not so among us … BUT…

My knee-jerk response is.. We are not Jesus

“There is worldly power, which Jesus eschewed, but there is also a holy power, brought by the Spirit.”2The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church by JR Woodward

Jesus’s acts with power in the gospels. Jesus doesn’t just empathize with people, he heals them, power flows out of him. Jesus also calms storms and multiplies loaves and fishes. Jesus loves, yes, but he also has power. And yes, the Son dies in solidarity with victims on the cross, but the Father raises the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit, thereby defeating the powers of sin and death.

Yes Jesus exercised power. however, conflating Jesus’ use of power with our use of power blasphemes the unfathomable mystery of an omnipotent God.
God’s omnipotence (divine power) is problematic, full of controversy; a gateway to theodicy, problems of suffering, pain, and evil. Combined with prevailing skepticism that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely; any notion of using Jesus as an example to justify “lording over” makes no sense.

God does not exercise top-down power and control from on high. God doesn’t “lord over” the world. The power of God works in the opposite direction, from the bottom-up. God’s power is the power of the cross, the power of weakness and powerlessness, the power of loving servanthood and self-giving. 3Richard Beck

We quite simply don’t have the power to follow any gospel ideal—such as loving others, forgiving enemies, living simply and nonviolently, or humble use of power—except in and through union with God. 4 Richard Rohr

In other words, it is OK to “lord it over” if it’s done in love.
I believe everything is to be done in love.
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph. 5:1-2
But.. “Lording over” in love is a non sequitur.
“lording over” is an unholy power — the spirituality of principalities and powers— Because of its nefarious nature it cannot be done in love.

To “lord over” in love is a euphemism for being likable. In each context 5My name is George – I am a tyrant. 
> Taught at home and church to be a man. 
> Indoctrinated by Ford Motor Company to be a manager. 
> Appointed deacon and elder in the church. 
where abusive power and control yielded damage, the remedy was not to abandon “lording over” but to become a benevolent tyrant.
No one seemed to expect me not to be a tyrant, they just wanted me to be nicer.
As Jesus said ” …those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.” If he looks like.. acts like.. walks like.. talks like… leads like a tyrant.. he’s a tyrant. No amount of perfume will remove evil, you only smell better.
“…each of us will either follow the scandalous way Jesus led or become a scandal. There is no neutral ground.” 6The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church by JR Woodward

“..you are not to be like that.”

Frustration with circumstances in need of correction generates the impulse to take charge. Believing Jesus’ way to be weak and ineffectual, woke; it is clear — someone has to take charge, something must be done. The only option is to assume power and take control.
Jesus’ “not so among you” is equivalent to “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” and is as shocking today as then for his disciples.

Jesus’ answer is the same today as it was then: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”


God reigns and rules through an invasion of love.
And if God’s power ever looked otherwise, or to expect something otherwise, it wouldn’t be the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. True, in the face of suffering we might want a different sort of God, and that’s fine, we can refuse to confess Jesus as Lord and say that we’d rather God set the world to rights by something other than love.
We can worship some other vision of power, some other God, Lord or Kingdom.

Richard Beck

STILL ON THE JOURNEY

  • 1
    BUT- except, excepting, besides, beside, other than, except for, excluding, saving, bar, outside, apart from, barring, save, exclusive of, outside of, aside from
  • 2
    The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church by JR Woodward
  • 3
    Richard Beck
  • 4
    Richard Rohr
  • 5
    My name is George – I am a tyrant. 
    > Taught at home and church to be a man. 
    > Indoctrinated by Ford Motor Company to be a manager. 
    > Appointed deacon and elder in the church. 
  • 6
    The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church by JR Woodward

Tyranny — Ruminations

tyranny :cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.

I’ve given a lot of thought to tyranny since my previous post. Here are some ruminations before sharing a cost/benefit analysis .


Tyranny is the default of fallen humans, an endless redux of our desire to be in control… deja vu the Garden of Eden. Choosing to be in control and become God.

Anyone who has had a two-year old child has met a tyrant.

Tyranny: is a vice.
 “If any point in political theory is indisputable, it would seem to be that tyranny is the worst corruption of government – a vicious misuse of power and a violent abuse of human beings who are subject to it.1Adler, Mortimer J., ed. (1952). “95: Tyranny”. Great Books of the Western World. Vol. 3: The Great Ideas: II. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

In my experience, I’ve never met anyone who admitted being a tyrant. However, most people, including myself, endorse the use of power and control. of course my use of power and control is never cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary.

My name is George – I am a tyrant.
> Taught at home and church to be a man.
> Indoctrinated by Ford Motor Company to be a manager.
> Appointed deacon and elder in the church.

In each context, authority, power and control were presumed and expected to be used. Despite Jesus’ declaration “…not so among you…” most of my life the hammer in my tool box has been power and control (tyranny). To my credit, my first impulse has been benevolence —  …” rulers call themselves everyone’s friends”… 2 Luke22 – CEV Deluded by echoes of praise— ‘nice guy” “good boss” great husband/father” “wonderful elder”—, Jesus’ words didn’t apply to me.
In recent years, searching for God stripped those illusions away and revealed the truth about myself. As a man, husband, father, manager, elder there has been failures (why didn’t I say sin?).

Experiencing tyranny as being demonstrated in our country, I have responded David-like:  “..the people who are doing this must be stopped! They must pay four times over, because they are doing such things without pity.” 32 Sam 12, my paraphrase . Thankfully, a serious examination of tyranny resulted, yielding two judgements :
1) Tranny is morally wrong.
2) Nathan (Jesus?) spoke to me: You are the man! Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?42 Sam 12:7,9

Naked and ashamed I am connecting dots between power and control (tyranny) and sin. Remembering more notable failures, each was an occasion where I chose to exercise power and control rather than submit to God’s will.
Choosing to “despise” Jesus’ command, my exercise of power and control inflicted its toll on others and dishonored Jesus.

There are real problems in our country and choosing tyranny should not come as a surprise, it is the default of fallen humanity. What is more distressing are Christians embracing tyranny as the solution, a clear refutation of “not so among you”.
Tyranny is the nexus of the wide road to destruction and the hard narrow way to life.
“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.” 5Matthew 7:13-14 GNT

“I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”

Romans 7:25 MSG

There is a third judgement: All of us are tyrants!
??“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! 6Romans 7:24-25 NIV

Because of my skepticism that “Jesus said” will be persuasive, even for Christians, the next post will attempt to make reasonable arguments against tyranny using cost/benefit analysis.

STILL ON THE JOURNEY

  • 1
    Adler, Mortimer J., ed. (1952). “95: Tyranny”. Great Books of the Western World. Vol. 3: The Great Ideas: II. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
  • 2
     Luke22 – CEV
  • 3
    2 Sam 12, my paraphrase
  • 4
    2 Sam 12:7,9
  • 5
    Matthew 7:13-14 GNT
  • 6
    Romans 7:24-25 NIV

A Few Thoughts

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Mary Schmich

Dissonance

Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy,” : Captain G. M. Gilbert after the Nuremberg trials. He was the prison psychologist charged with dealing with the Nazi’s.

“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.”: Elon Musk


Spiritual forces

People are veritably besieged, on all sides, at every moment simultaneously by these claims and strivings of the various powers each seeking to dominate, usurp, or take a person’s time, attention, abilities, effort; each grasping at life itself; each demanding idolatrous service and loyalty. In such a tumult it becomes very difficult for a human being even to identify the idols that would possess him or her…

William Stringfellow


Quitting

All my life, coaches have been chanting sports slogans about never quitting: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” “Quitting is tough, not quitting is tougher!” “You cannot fail unless you quit.” And, while that kind of motivation is helpful when the immediate goal is to win a game, it’s not always applicable to real life. It’s easy to determine the winner in a game, just look at the score. Not so easy in life.

Sometimes quitting is a smart, healthy, and productive choice. But we’ve trained kids over the years to believe that quitting anything shows a lack of moral character. That results in them hanging on in jobs, relationships, groups, and so forth even when those things are eroding who they are. Yes, we don’t want to get in the habit of treating people or jobs as disposable—we need to put the work in to make sure we aren’t quitting out of fear or laziness or insecurity. But we also don’t want to stifle the potential for change and growth in our lives out of misplaced loyalty to clichés like “There’s no quit in me.” That may just reveal stubbornness over intelligence.

“I quit, therefore I am” doesn’t say quitter to me, but someone who judiciously assesses life situations that seem to overwhelm them until it feels oppressive to the point of changing who they are or who they want to be. The act of quitting defines who they want to be. The 21 DOGE workers who quit out of protest. The Washington Post columnist who quit yesterday after her editorial criticizing Jeff Bezos was rejected. (FYI: I quit my subscription to the Post yesterday in support of the columnist: “A top ‘Washington Post’ columnist resigns, accusing publisher of killing piece.”)

Quitting is a way to maintain the integrity of who you are, whether it’s quitting a heinous job, quitting a combative relationship, or quitting an unsupportive family. Sometimes jobs, relationships, and even families suck and they don’t deserve you. It takes guts and strength to abandon the comfort of the known for the uncertainty of the unknown. But, as Kenny Rogers sang, “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” I know when to fold ‘em, therefore I am. 

Kareem Abdul Jabbar


Belief and Behavior

For Jesus, there’s an unbreakable linkage between our beliefs and our behavior. If we believe in Jesus, we behave according to His word. If we don’t behave according to His teachings, then we don’t believe. It’s that simple. It’s that hard.

We live in a world that is filled with words. There are so many words coming at us from every direction, most of us have simply stopped listening. We don’t listen to the news. We don’t listen to our leaders. We don’t listen…well, to anyone.

But we do watch. We watch what other people do. We watch how others behave. We watch how they handle stress. We watch how they tend to their priorities. Then, when we find someone who is living well, we’re curious.

It’s not just Jesus who’s watching. Our neighbors are watching too. My guess is if we had more Christians behaving, more of our neighbors would be believing.

Mike Glenn


NPC’s

Lately, political writers have called attention to the tendency of billionaire Elon Musk to refer to his political opponents as “NPCs.” This term comes from the gaming world and refers to a nonplayer character, a character that follows a scripted path and cannot think or act on its own, and is there only to populate the world of the game for the actual players. 

Heather Cox Richardson


Come as you are..

Something in your book that seems to be quite contrary to one of the central themes stressed in today’s church is your claim that the church is not about being welcoming and affirming and accepting people as they are. That seems to have become a truism today: Come as you are; all are welcome

I don’t want you to accept me as I am; I’ve got too many problems. I want to be challenged to be better than otherwise I would be able to be. And so this idea of Come as you are—there are a lot of people who I don’t think should come as they are. 

I mean, what is baptism? It’s not coming as you are. It’s being drowned in the water of the faith that makes you a different human being than you were before baptism. So Come as you are is a slogan that might be good for self-help groups, but it’s not a slogan that’s good for the church.

Stanley Hauerwas – Jesus Changes Everything- A New World Made Possible


Smashing

Smashing the old order does not, in itself, create anything at all. The Visigoths and the Vandals built nothing on top of the ruins of Rome. They indulged their thumos and scampered away to feast for a while on the wealth they looted, and then they disappeared into myth and memory.
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/this-thing-will-fail?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email


this decade, the consensus among supposed experts has again and again proven to be badly mistaken.

Most “serious people” predicted that Britain would vote to remain in the European Union.

Most “serious people” were confident that Donald Trump would fail to win the Republican nomination and certain that he would lose the general election.

Most “serious people” knew that the Covid pandemic would not pose a serious threat to people and that the virus did not originate in a lab leak and that mass events were a thing of the past and that vaccines couldn’t possibly be developed in less than three years and that these new vaccines would stop all transmission of the virus.

Most “serious people” predicted that Russian troops would enter downtown Kyiv within days and that Ukrainians would beat back Russian troops in a matter of weeks and that Russians were on the path to certain victory after all.

of course most “serious people” believed that consolidated democracies like the United States could never experience democratic backsliding and that extremists would never take power in this country…
YASCHA MOUNK


Providence of God

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:3–4)

The work of God’s providence surrounds us at all times, though our hearts are frequently out-of-tune with the eternal hymn of its working. We are deeply aware of every offense against goodness, every tragedy, every rumor of evil, while we constantly ignore how we are preserved in health, delivered from danger, and overshadowed by God’s brooding goodness. In the math of good and evil, the miracle of our very existence seems to be factored as a zero.

I have come to think that the doctrine of divine providence is more readily seen by the old than by the young. For the old, most of life is “in the rear-view mirror,” while, for the young, it rushes towards the windshield at ever-increasing speeds. In hindsight, the hand of God seems clear, and, mostly, unmistakable. It is a mysterious working, particularly when I see good come out of seeming evil.

Fr Stephen Freeman


Great grandson and ARCHIE update

Last Friday we finally got to see two of our great grandsons born while we were in Florida and big bother Miles.
First was our big 10# chunk – Beau Allen Johnson. He is a sweet child and is loved by his Mom and Dad, Madison and Austin Johnson.

Next, we were able to see and hold Archie in the NICU, born 1#7oz , now 5# 3oz and growing. It was amazing. Still praying.

Miles and Daddy:

STILL ON THE JOURNEY

Tyranny

tyranny :cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.

IMHO, what I’m currently observing in our country is the implementation of tyranny: cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.

‘Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ‘ Luke 22:25-26

I believe Jesus was speaking about tyranny and in accordance with his admonition: “you are not be like that”,, exercising tyranny as a Christ follower is disqualifying. and is to be resisted, wrestling “against the rulers , against the authorities…” 1Eph.11-12 ESV

Arguing tyranny is un-Christian doesn’t get much traction in western society. Sadly, that is increasingly true for western Christianity.

“The evangelical church in America has, to a large extent, been co-opted by an American, religious version of the kingdom of the world. We have come to trust the power of the sword more than the power of the cross. We have become intoxicated with the Constantinian, nationalistic, violent mindset of imperialistic Christendom.” 
Gregory A. Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

Because the western world believes tranny is a solution for anything judged wrong.

Since western Christianity is abandoning Jesus, choosing tyranny, believing … ends justify the means.

When pleas for Christians to choose the way of Jesus, are rejected as weak and ineffectual; reasoning “…there comes point when someone has to take charge”

The next best argument is to apply their guiding principle — logic and reason,.

In that regard, the next post will be “A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Tyranny”, critiquing tyranny and its consequences.

A cost-benefit analysis is a process businesses [and individuals] use to analyze decisions. The business or analyst sums the benefits of a situation or action and then subtracts the costs associated with taking that action. 

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cost-benefitanalysis.asp

Next post — Cost benefit Analysis of Tyranny

Read a previous post on Cost/Benefit Analysis HERE.

STILL ON THE JOURNEY

  • 1
    Eph.11-12 ESV

A Few Thoughts


“… many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”

Mark 10:31

Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Matt 5:42

Journey toward Love

St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia treasured the following quote from the writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian. He had it printed and handed out to his visitors.

We should look upon all the faithful as one person and consider that Christ is in each one of them. We should have such love for them that we are ready to sacrifice our very lives for them. For it is incumbent upon us neither to say, nor think of any person as evil, but we must look upon everyone as good. If you see a brother afflicted with a passion, do not hate him. Hate the passion that makes war upon him. And if you see him being terrorized by the habits and desires of previous sins, have compassion on him. Maybe you too will be afflicted by temptation, since you are also made from matter that easily turns from good to evil. Love towards your brother prepares you to love God even more. The secret, therefore, of love towards God is love towards your brother. For if you don’t love your brother whom you see, how is it possible to love God whom you do not see?

For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God Whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

Fr Stephen Freeman


Wisdom and Knowledge
Knowledge is knowing that a Tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing that you don’t put Tomato in a fruit salad!
Brian Rosner

There is a difference between knowing something and knowing what to do with it and what not to do about it. 
I might know when I am right about something, but there is knowing whether or not to make a big deal about it. Something I think I need to apply more to marriage, parenting, faculty meetings, and social media!

Knowledge is factual, while wisdom looks towards practical application and takes into account broader considerations about context and consequences.
Knowledge is about knowing the what; while wisdom considers how and when to apply that knowledge.
Knowledge can be acquired through study and learning (or a quick Google search); yet wisdom comes from life-experience, mistakes, and reflection.
Knowledge should inform decisions, so we get the facts right; but wisdom provides the guardrails for how we use knowledge, and it helps us navigate the complexities in life. 
Pursue knowledge, yet act with wisdom!

Pray that “wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Prov 2:10).

Michael Bird

Maybe someone should start an Opaque Church, where we could learn to give up one kind of vision in hope of another. Instead of wearing name tags, we would touch each other’s faces. Instead of looking around to see who’s there, we could learn to listen for each other’s voices.

Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because Sometimes God Shows Up at Night
Taylor, Barbara Brown


Prescient Quote: 1985


Human Institutions

“Human institutions cannot be equated with the kingdom of God, but until the full consummation of God’s kingdom, we will need human institutions to constrain us. Evangelicals, therefore, should rethink their longstanding anti-institutionalism. It’s wise to be wary of placing too much faith in a human institution, whether in government or anywhere else. But if the only alternative to governmental institutions that we have to offer is radical individualism, we probably need to reread the Bible’s teachings about the individual sinful proclivities that make institutions a necessary part of our fallen world.”

Daniel K Williams


“illusion of asymmetric insight.” 

The conviction that we know others better than they know us—and that we may have insights about them they lack (but not vice versa)—leads us to talk when we would do well to listen and to be less patient than we ought to be when others express the conviction that they are the ones who are being misunderstood or judged unfairly.

Emily Pronin 


Foreign Aid

a majority of Americans believe that the US spends about 25% of its budget on foreign aid. Most Americans believe that amount should be cut down to 10%. The problem is that in reality, the U.S. spends less than 1% of the budget on foreign aid.


Inner Religious Experience

Until someone has had some level of inner religious experience,?there is no point in asking them to follow the ethical ideals of Jesus or to really understand Christian doctrines beyond the formulaic level. We quite simply don’t have the power to follow any gospel ideal—such as loving others, forgiving enemies, living simply and nonviolently, or humble use of power—except in and through union with God. Nor do doctrines like the Trinity, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, salvation, or the mystery of incarnation have meaning that actually changes our lives. Without inner experience of the Divine, these are merely ideas in books. Without having what Bill Wilson of Alcoholics Anonymous called “a vital spiritual experience,” nothing authentically new or life-giving happens.

Richard Rohr

‘Ideas create idols. Only wonder leads to knowing.’

St. Gregory of Nyssa

ARCHIE update

4.5 lbs.

Thankful

STILL ON THE JOURNEY