McMusing: The Misuse of Power
The issue is never really the issue, it is always about the use or misuse of power.
Today’s McMusing was retrieved from Facebook (from a year ago) where most of these were eternally lost. This is a perfect example of a McMusing! They almost always land in the intersection of life observations, religion, and my educational research background.
As I followed several discussions this week, I realized that many of the discussions never actually talked about the real issue. Not that good points weren’t made or that the discussions weren’t important, but from my vantage point, the issue that is never mentioned boils down to one thing.....drumroll....power.
Let me list the ways power is implied in the discussions:
Having enough power over another to force compliance
Having enough power to pass legislation that makes everyone live the way we want them to.
Having enough power to influence the direction society takes.
Having enough power to be the most important voice in the room.
Having enough power to claim your truth as truth for everyone.
I could go on, but you get the idea. When I observe the ways Jesus did and did not use power it comes down to one thing: Is this about the other person or is this about me? Power isn't the problem; how we tend to use it is the problem.
One of the discussions on Twitter this week was about David and Bathsheba. It is interesting that, for the most part, there was agreement on Bathsheba being innocent (though that is not how it was taught/preached about for most of my life). But when someone said she had been raped....well that blew up the Twitter feed. The issue was force. Did it look forced? Probably not to any outside observer. Yet, I ask, is physical force always an attribute of holding power over others?
Oddly, I also ran across a TedTalk by Monica Lewinsky. What the nation and the world did to this young (22-year-old) intern was horrific. There are important parallels between this story and that of Bathsheba. The connector is power.
Part of my dissertation work was on the topic of power as it relates to the classroom teacher and students. The roots of how this plays out are in the teacher's theological and philosophical view of the innocence of the child. What I found applies to everything (not literally, but close).
What you believe about the one who was harmed is rooted in your basic views about humans in general, women specifically. If you have been taught that men fall because women seduce them, then your conclusions about both Monica and Bathsheba draw from that bias. If on the other hand, you understand the power dynamics involved in both situations, you can view this through a different lens--one in which physical force is not necessary for it to be rape. Rape implies a lack of consent and when power of influence is involved, consent is often assumed. There is no such thing as consent when those in positions of authority use their influence to have power over another person.
Still not sure? Talk to survivors who were groomed by those in positions of authority. Talk to women (or men) who were groomed by leaders. Those in ministry leadership often called them a gift from God. It takes a lot of therapy for them to understand that trusting someone in authority, believing their words (lies), and complying is not the same as consent.
The survival-based need for power is a strong determiner of our actions. Never underestimate the power someone wields over those deemed as less powerful. Jesus continually walked the line between those who wanted him to rule by power and those who hated him because he threatened their power. "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." And he set the call to power down and walked back into the crowd to love more people.
It would be very wise for all of us to withdraw to a mountain by ourselves and reflect on how we are trying to change the world. Power is always the wrong choice, but our desire for it and the ways that our positions within society (or the church) give us powerful influence can easily corrupt us.
And the embedded bias that the less powerful are guilty when the powerful fail is harmful in every possible way. The ways the wagons circle around the powerful are remarkable in their consistent predictability. Denying the power of influence is the bond that holds them together.
Suggested Resources:
To fully understand the power of influence, read Stanley Milgram's book, Obedience to Authority)
Interestingly enough, my very first podcast after publishing BRAVE was on the topic of the #MeToo Movement and included a conversation about the ways the story of Bathsheba has erroneously been interpreted. You can listen here: #MeToo: Bathsheba’s Story (Flip Flops, Glitter, and Theology—The Podcast
There is a direct connection between the uses of power and Christian Nationalism. I hesitate to use that term since it is being lobbed at anyone who is a conservative Christian. Rev. Benjamin Cremer does a fantastic job of defining/differentiating the two in the following newsletter—and guess what? It is about power. How Should We Talk About Christian Nationalism?