Episode 9: On the Use and Abuse of Authority

Authority is God’s good and dangerous gift. Therefore, it’s important for pastors and church leaders to exercise their authority well, and in doing so image God. Jonathan recently sat down with Mark to chat about the use and abuse of authority.

SHOW NOTES:

– Why is authority such an under-talked about topic? (:45)

– Has authority been especially villainized in our current culture? (2:10)

– Are evangelicals any different in their views of the authority? (6:10)

– What is authority? (9:05)

– Why do you think a passage like 2 Samuel 23:3–4 is so important as we think about authority? What can they teach pastors today? (11:00)

– How does a pastor wield his authority well? (14:30)

– What’s the difference between authority and authoritarianism? (15:00)

– How can a pastor be pro-authority while also being anti-authoritarian? (17:05)

– Why is the abuse of authority so heinous? What does it look like for someone to abuse their authority, or to use it too aggressively? (19:45)

– How do you pastor those Christians who have only know the abuse of authority? (23:30)

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Listen to the other episodes of Pastors‘ Talk here.