When Pontius Pilate warns Jesus that he has authority over life and death, Jesus reminds him, “you would have no authority over me, unless it had been given from above” (John 19:10–11). At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus assures his disciples that “all authority has been given to me in . . . . Continue Reading »
It is not only kings and princes who bear political office. As those created in God’s image, we too bear political authority. Continue Reading »
If we are unclear as to the authority for our cultural transformative efforts, we run the risk of being transformed ourselves by the very culture we hope to change. In which case, there will be little difference between Niebuhr's “Christ transforming culture” and “Christ of culture.” Continue Reading »
In John's writings, authority is not possessed except as it is given and received. Continue Reading »
A liberal Christian may be able to affirm that Jesus literally walked on the water or rose from the dead, yet he still retains the right as an individual to accept only that which supports his own experience of faith. Continue Reading »
What if it turns out that personal freedom, far from being opposed to authority, is simply another manifestation of authority? Continue Reading »
Absent authority, can the church carry out a mission at all? Continue Reading »
A properly functioning moral conscience is formed by a variety of authoritative influences, including parental upbringing, teachers, churches, workplaces, and peers. Continue Reading »
Dame Rebecca West had a theory that the history of civilization since Christ could be divided into three panels like a triptych. In the first panel, stretching roughly from the Crucifixion to the Middle Ages, the language of theology so dominated learned debate that all complaints were expressed in . . . . Continue Reading »
Apart from office, there is no obligation to obey another person. There is no natural right for one person to rule over someone else. Only office , and not the mere possession of power, can confer authority. Continue Reading »
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