The Play for Power
To see that my adversary gives me my rights is natural; but … from our Lord's standpoint it does not matter if I am defrauded or not; what does matter is that I do not defraud.
Oswald Chambers
You may be able to compel people to maintain certain minimum standards by stressing duty, but the highest moral and spiritual achievements depend not upon a push but a pull. People must be charmed into righteousness.
Reinhold Niebuhr
Not all attacks by dragons are personal; sometimes the play is for power. People use political tactics to influence decisions such as choosing a new Sunday school curriculum, focusing on nurture rather than church growth, or spending money on missions rather than remodeling.
Well-intentioned dragons, of course, have good reasons for seeking power, usually because the church is heading a direction they think needs to be changed. When two groups differ over the goals and direction of the church, tensions naturally rise as they each try to gain the upper hand. If the issues are significant, both sides know the consequences of losing — the church won't be the same again. All the ingredients are there for a firefight … with all the resulting casualties.
Even the New Testament church knew the pain of living as a house divided until some key issues were settled.
In Galatians 2, Paul describes his power struggle with some "false brothers" over the expectations laid on Gentiles who were converting to Christianity. His opponents, known as the circumcision party, demanded that new Christians be circumcised and meet Jewish lifestyle requirements before joining the Christian church. Paul insisted that faith is the only prerequisite.
Paul and Barnabas brought Titus, an uncircumcised Greek convert, to Jerusalem to force the ...
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