Yesterday we talked about authority in theological terms. Today I want to take a more practical approach. How do you recognize true authority when you encounter it?
As people of God, scripture is our ultimate authority. God comes to us through his word. That which follows God's word holds authority for us. That which does not, cannot.
But we have to be careful here, because God's word isn't a monolithic set of rules as some people paint it. Too often you'll hear people claim authority by saying, "The Bible says THIS and if you don't believe THIS you are WRONG!" The Bible says definite things. Those things cannot be bent to our convenience. However the Bible often argues against itself. In different times and places in scripture the "THIS" looks different. Thus "an eye for an eye" rests in the same pages as "turn the other cheek". Each is appropriate in its time and place. Our job is not to champion one over the other, drawing authority from our unassailable, correct position. Our job is to ask, "What time is it? What place are we in? Which message was meant for this situation?"
When Derek takes one of Ali's toys and won't give it back to her, one of the most effective ways of getting him to realize the wrong is demonstrating how it feels. Instead of arguing with him I usually say, "That's fine. You keep that toy. But we're going to give Ali all of your toys." Weighing the balance, he opts to give her toy back. (He's 5. He has cooler stuff than she does.) That's totally an eye for an eye, which is not my preferred theology. But telling Ali to turn the other cheek in that situation will only perpetuate injustice.
On the other hand if one of the kids calls the other a bad name, I do ask the offender not to say such things but even more I counsel the offended party to let it go. In most cases a stray word will only harm you as much as you let it. When someone calls you a "booger" you can rob them of power by shrugging and turning the other cheek. You certainly don't gain any victory, or any peace, by calling them a name in return.
Even in one small family with a reasonably-theologically-aware dad, the Bible doesn't always counsel a single approach. Therefore when someone brings up the "THIS!" that you have to agree with or you're an infidel, they're not opening and explaining scripture, but cutting it apart and closing it down. You should interpret such an assertion as, "I SAY the Bible says THIS and if you don't believe LIKE ME you are wrong." Notice what you're being asked to agree with is not scripture for the sake of God and the world, but an individual person for the sake of themselves and their own beliefs.
Therein lies the key for discerning whether a person is speaking with authority. Scripture may counsel different approaches at different times but one thing remains consistent through all of it: in everything we do we are commanded to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of God and the sake of our neighbor. Turn scripture into something that uplifts you for your own sake and you have broken it in the same way the Pharisees did. Follow it into service to God and others and you have fulfilled everything it asks.
Authority doesn't lie in how well or forcefully you speak. Authority doesn't lie in how passionately you believe your convictions either. It's possible to speak well, forcefully, and passionately about something that's dead wrong. Authority lies in the direction the speaker's words prompt you to go. If the direction is inward, towards the speaker, supporting only him and his institution for its own sake, the words are not authoritative. If the direction is outward, driving you all--including the speaker--to render love, grace, justice, and mercy to others, therein lies authority.
True authority does not work for its own aims. True authority turns us outward to follow something bigger and better than any of us are alone.
When you hear someone speak and you get the feeling it's all about him or about supporting his institution and point of view, you're right to be suspicious. No matter how good he sounds or how much you might agree with his position, that isn't real authority. The humblest person who encourages you to serve something beyond himself speaks with real authority, even if he can't seem to put two words together straight.
It's worth noting that while Christians have a unique and irreplaceable view on true authority, such authority is not monopolized by Christians alone. Plenty of self-proclaimed "Christian" folk speak without authority even when claiming to speak in God's name. Plenty of non-Christian folk actually follow the precepts of scripture without knowing or claiming it. Distinguishing and naming these things rightly is part of our job as people of faith. The impoverished person who comes to our doors and says, "I am hungry" actually speaks with more authority than the Bible thumper who is ready to tell us definitively who's going to hell or not. That's why we follow the hungry person and not the preacher...not because we have pity but because the hungry person leads us into service beyond ourselves while the preacher only makes us more satisfied with ourselves.
The first question any of us should ask when trying to determine whether someone has authority is not whether they sound good, whether they appear to have knowledge or a position or authority in our culture, or whether we agree with what they're saying. (That last is perhaps the worst measure of all, but it's the one we employ the most nowadays.) Instead we should ask, "In what direction is this leading me, and for whose sake?" If it's sacrifice of self in service to God and people beyond the speaker and audience themselves, that's true authority. If it's sacrifice of everybody else for us and/or sacrifice of all of us for the speaker, his institution, or his point of view, that's not authoritative.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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