Authority Is Good for You
Book Review by Erin Shaw, TGC.
Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing, by Jonathan Leeman.
I must begin with a confession: I’m guilty. I’m a misuser of authority.
Jonathan Leeman’s book Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing begins with a similar confession.
Leeman writes, “Here is an unassailable fact: To some degree, you and I have misused our authority by lording it over others” (xvi). He confesses not only that has he misused authority but that apart from the grace of God, he’ll continue to do so. We’ve all used our authority to serve ourselves for our own purposes and gain.
Here’s another unassailable fact: to some degree, you and I have been sinned against when others have lorded their authority over us.
What hope is there for those of us who have misused authority or had it misused against us? This is an important question for our day.
Leeman is a man under authority who seeks to steward authority well as he manages several roles. He’s editorial director for 9Marks, cohost of the Pastors Talk podcast, an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church, a husband, and a father.
In Authority, Leeman gives an understanding of both good and bad authority. He seeks to equip those in various domains to carefully steward their gifts of authority. His work reflects a strong biblical argument for what God-given authority is and gives numerous illustrations from his experiences in these realms.
Good and Bad Authority
Leeman defines authority as a “moral license to make decisions or give commands” (27).
But what is good authority? It’s life-giving. For those who are under it and those who exercise it, it pushes both to mature in the Lord. It creates groups with a purpose. Good authority teaches about God’s immanence and his transcendence because of the healthy boundaries it sets. Fundamentally, good authority is submitted to God. It’s sacrificial, truthful, just, merciful, and compassionate.
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