Apr
28
2011

Theology of Life: Authority

An article by Doug

Ok Matt, you are to blame for this post: I made a quick comment on yesterday’s post that I would like to explain… and maybe explore the idea of authority for a couple of weeks.

What is authority?
Where does it come from?
Who grants it?

These are my questions, but do we have a good idea of answers?

I will start with one idea that has been used by others: Constituted Authority. This authority is seen by those who appeal to it as a divine imputation of authority by God. This is expressed through words like “anointed”, “called” and the like. We all have seen this used to justify unilateral decisions by those believing that God has given them this right. What I find interesting in this perspective is the self proclamation based on management through an organizational chart. To make this applicable to your team context, there is always the “threat” that this person can use the trump card of authority to belittle or ignore the contribution of the team. A real team killer in my view.

Next week I want to explore the nature of authority as presented in the scripture.

Personal Note: I have been burned by this approach to authority many times as I served in the local church and other Christian organizations. Therefore there is significant emotion attached to this for me, and may need some tempering from the churchthought community. So help me on this one.

Doug White was born and raised in the New York City metro area, now residing in rural northeast Georgia he has spent years losing his Jersey accent. A very informal guy with lots of very formal education, Doug loves to ride his Honda VTX 1300 C when the weather is good and work on construction projects when possible. He loves the church, having spent 20 years serving in ministry and currently invests in the church serving as a university professor. He lives with his wife Christina; 3 children: Ian, Seth and Nissa; 4 dogs: Gizmo, Max, Luci and Q; 3 cats: Tigger, Lily, and Midnight; Parrot BJ; with two ponds (full of fish) and a wild bird feeder to torment the cats.