Misuse of Power Hurts Everyone

"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Lord Acton (1887)

 There are a lot of stories in the news right now about the misuse of power.  And a lot of people are denying or defending allegations against them or those they know.  Sometimes it involves doing the wrong thing.  Other times it's about not doing the right thing when it needs to be done. Whether in politics, sports, business, military, school, church or family, the misuse of power has caused a great many people a great deal of pain.

I’ve observed some things over the last few years which have been racing around in my brain this week about what happens when a misuse of power is discovered.  First, the person accused often claims to have no idea that they have done anything wrong.  Many times this plays out as denial, to community and to self.  Or accusations that others are out to get them. Or setting up the accuser as the initiator of the incidence or as a person of lesser character.  It is a rare occurrence when someone stands up from the very beginning and says, "Yes, I did it and I'm sorry."

Second, people, while horrified, are likely to make excuses for the one who has crossed the line.  Whether it’s wealth or position or reputation as an icon, many of those who have misused their power don’t understand what all the fuss is about.  And those around them want to protect them.

Third, those of us on the sidelines are often disgusted, frustrated and angry, but don’t really know what to do.  We don’t have a good means of dealing with the disappointments that come when people we admire and love commit a terrible wrong.  So often we do nothing.

This fall (2011) we have been inundated with stories and images that make these points, some sexual, some financial, some in the realm of church life.  And again and again these stories take us away from the really important issues of the day.  We get caught up in the scandal, like rubbernecking at an accident on the side of the highway.  The details of the stories become almost unimportant in relation to the problem at the very core:  As Christians, we don’t take seriously the biblical mandate to take care of one another.

It’s not like these problems are isolated to us as Americans or the actions of present day people.  The biblical story is filled with these exact same situations, separated by a couple of thousand years.  Think of David and Bathsheba… seduction of a wife and murder of a soldier husband to cover up the crime (2 Samual 11).  Think of Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus, a pauper who begged at the rich man’s gate.  When they died, the beggar went to heaven, but the rich man to Hades, for the disregard he had shown for others when he was alive (Luke 16:19-31).  Think of Jesus’ own trial and crucifixion.  The Jewish priests and leaders trumped up charges on Jesus to get rid of his influence of others.  Even Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent and washed his hand of the matter, laying full blame on those in power in the Jewish community of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:11-26).

So if this misuse of power is endemic in our history and culture, do we have to give in and accept that “stuff just happens”?  No, I don’t believe we should.  I don’t believe that we can let that happen.  But we do have to understand the problem. 

Power or authority comes with tremendous responsibility.  Many leaders forget that is responsibility to care for and protect those under their power.  It should mean sacrifice of personal needs in order that other’s needs be met.  The problem comes when we give into the “if it feels good, do it” mentality.  This is compounded when we don’t understand that those under our authority look to us as the keepers of their wellbeing and will often do things that are wrong in order to secure their positions. 

I’ve participated in several workplace ethics seminars.  And from them I have taken away this idea - that people under our care and control do not have freewill to refuse our requests.  If we ask them to do things that are inappropriate, their first internal question is, “How will this affect my position if I say 'No"?”  Effectively, they don’t have the ability to give consent, because we hold over them a fear that their lives will be put into disorder if they refuse.  This dynamic often plays out as sexual misconduct or harassment or in financial misdoings.  And these actions don’t just affect the ones in the act… the ripple effect can be seen throughout families, companies and churches where these activities reside.  Reputations are ruined, lives disrupted and relationships and trust are destroyed.

All of these stories call us to action.
1 – to be very mindful of the relationships we have with others and make sure that we are not putting them or us into difficult situations.
2 – to be on the watch for inappropriate uses of power by others, calling attention to them in the most constructive way possible.
3 – to be brave and speak the truth in love.  These conversations usually start in private and begin with “I am concerned about what I think I am seeing…”
4 – to use appropriate channels to ask questions and share concerns, in a spirit of truth and not out of spite or revenge.

As a Christian, I want to be a person who does more than that which is required by the law of the land, and instead a person who does what is commanded by the love of God. These steps are all difficult and require prayer and support. This is a dangerous road to travel in this world we live in, but one that we must practice walking every day.

The quote at the top of the page is well-known.  It lifts up a negative aspect of power and brings it into the light, as if it were the ultimate truth.  But what if we lived by another truth…  our call to live out our vocations and callings in love and in faithfulness.  What if we took our faith commitments seriously in every aspect of our lives? What would the world look like if we lived this way every day?

Peace, Deb

“… God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:16-21) NIV