Monday's hot topics - Authority

How do we view authrority? Some would advocate following leadership regardless of their ineptitude. Some don't even vote because they think God will put his chosen people in power. Others however fight for better government.

While we are more familiar with this struggle in our government, how does this obedience to authority play out in church? Recently on the discussion forum our friend Sunshine started a topic to discuss this very thing. Here's a clip from a recent post from someone (TWP) who was kicked out of their church by bad leadership:

Here's what makes the whole "obedience" thing a bit tough to follow:

-Jesus felt free to disobey and dismay all of the men who were supposed to be the respected leaders of the jewish community he was part of. Not only did he not feel the need of obeying them, he judged them, and not as God, but as a person (a human being) coinhabiting this world with them. Essentially, he removed himself from being under their authority.

-the protestants felt free to disobey and walk away from the church authority at the time, judging it and removing themselves from its authority.

-the brethren felt free to disobey and walk away from their own (mostly) Anglican churches, including the men in authority there, judging them and removing themselves from its authority.

What we now seem to be talking about is the question of whether to be under the authority of brethren elders who seem to us to be false shepherds, scattering the flock and putting people under law, because the bible says we can't do otherwise, or whether we feel we are in a position to judge their rule of us as unscriptural and remove ourselves from their authority.

What are your thoughts on church leadership? Share your stories on the forum - here