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Authority and Conscience1 the Authority of the Denomination and the Freedom of the Pastor Spes Christiana 31.1, 2020, 85‒102 Authority and Conscience1 The Authority of the Denomination and the Freedom of the Pastor Reinder Bruinsma Abstract The article firstly deals with church authority in general and with the way this is understood and functions in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. All church authority is delegated authority, and the church’s authority is always subject to God and the revelation in his Word. The Adventist governmental structure has not always sufficiently resisted authoritarian and hierarchical tendencies. The second part of this arti- cle focuses on the relationship between the pastor and his employing church entity. His freedom is limited, in terms of church policies and in expressing theologically unacceptable opinions. On the other hand, he cannot be expected to show blind obedience, and some forms of dissent can actually enrich the community. The pastor must listen to his conscience, but must in some cases expect to be disciplined. Any discipline requires great care, lest political elements and a denial of the right of critical thinking obscure the real issues. 1. Church Authority Authority and compliance are topics that dominate much of recent Adventist discussion. Many are concerned about the manner in which authority func- tions within the denominational structure, and wonder whether the exercise of this authority is not too much “top-down” and has not acquired too many hierarchical features. Questions are asked about the legitimate spheres of au- 1 A previous French version of this paper is printed in SERVIR – Revue adventiste de théologie 5, Autumn 2019, 41‒55. Reinder Bruinsma thority and about the extent and limits of authority in the various organiza- tional echelons. There is rather widespread criticism with regard to current attempts of the “higher” organizations to enforce compliance with certain doctrinal positions and policies of the church. Church leaders claim that measures must be taken to ensure the unity of the worldwide church. Many, on the other hand, point to the positive aspects of diversity and demand space for the role of personal conscience in responding to doctrinal and policy issues. This article will briefly explore the nature of authority in the Christian church—in particular in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. It will give attention to the question how the authority of the leaders and institutions of the church relates to the authority and freedom of the pastor and will zoom in on the tensions that develop when pastors disagree with specific things the denomination says or does, and expects of them.2 1.1 Authority It should not surprise us that in the church, just as in society, authority and respect for authoritative speaking and acting has become increasingly prob- lematic. Congregations and individuals no longer accept the word of pastors and other church leaders unchallenged. “The assumption that position guar- antees respect is no longer valid” (Blackaby and Blackaby 2001, 18). In post- modern thinking institutional religion is mostly considered irrelevant and the metanarratives (including those of the church) which supposedly explain eve- rything and proclaim one absolute Truth, which all must accept, are rejected. Postmodernity contends that personal autonomy is the path to truth for each individual. Whether authority is acquired and executed by use of power, through a claim to special expertise, or as the fruit of charisma ‒ or by a com- bination of these factors ‒ it faces serious challenges (Reuschling 2005, 65). The Latin roots of the word “authority” – auctor and auctoritatis – have the meaning of “invention, advice, influence, command.” In English, the word acquired, from the fourteenth century onwards, the connotation of “the right to rule or command, power to enforce obedience, power or right to command 2 When referring to pastors or ministers in this article, I will use the male pronouns. It should be understood, however, that the ministerial force of the church also includes many female pastoral staff. 86 Authority and Conscience or act.”3 In various translations of Hebrews 12:2 (as e.g. in KJV and NIV), Christ is called the “author” of our faith. This does not primarily point to his power, and other translations translate the original word archegon more ap- propriately as pioneer (e.g. NRSV; see also Knight 2003, 223.225), or as the pre- cursor.4 Perhaps our word initiator would be a good modern equivalent. In any case, it does not emphasize the power aspect. The two New Testament words that are most closely connected with the power aspect of authority are dunamis and exousia. Dunamis “suggests the inherent capacity of someone or some- thing to carry something out” (Betz 1971a). Exousia, on the other hand, de- notes “freedom of choice, the right or power to exercise authority;” it is “the power which may be displayed in the areas of legal, political social or moral affairs” (Betz 1971b). Whatever shades of meaning these words may have, they do not convey the idea of authoritarian power, or of force and coercion. This has a direct impact on how authority should function in the church. It is clear beyond dispute that Jesus established something entirely new in the authority which he conferred upon the church. Authority as a function of love and as an operation of the Spirit has no precedent in societies which existed in Old Testament times or in the Hellenistic world, nor does it appear in social ethics of ancient or modern times. (McKenzie 1964, 420) Jesus created a new structure of authority, which is real, even though not all members and leaders in the church are aware of that. The unfortunate fact is that we always face the danger that the structure of the church will take on the forms of secular society and that the church will employ means proper to secular society. When the Church becomes a power structure, unless that power be the power of love, it takes on a secular character. (McKenzie 1964, 421) The well-known Anglican preacher, theologian and church leader John Stott (1921‒2011) expressed this in these pertinent words: 3 https://www.etymonline.com/word/authority (accessed February 2, 2020). 4 As does the prestigious Dutch theologian F. W Grosheide, in his commentary: Grosheide 1966, 161.163. 87 Reinder Bruinsma The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.5 The biblical model of the exercise of authority is not the secular CEO model. And “spiritual leaders do not try to satisfy the goals and ambitions of the peo- ple they lead but those of the God they serve” (Blackaby and Blackaby 2001, 10.18). 1.2 Power vs. Servanthood God looks for servants. We see this already in God’s interaction with his peo- ple in Old Testament times. Isaiah paints a powerful picture of God’s decisive future intervention through his suffering Servant (chapter 53). We learn from Moses’ summary of the criteria for kingly leadership that a human leader should show the humility of a servant and not consider himself better than the people he serves (Deut. 17:20). Christ is very clear about servanthood as the only acceptable model for leadership among his followers. He set the supreme example. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). During the last supper Jesus manifested his willingness to serve when he washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:1‒17). He told the twelve to imitate his example and said in this context: “Who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). When there was an argument among the disciples about position and status in the Kingdom, Jesus minced no words and underlined that authority in his Kingdom should not reflect secular power structures. You know, he said, how it works in the world around you. But you must follow a different model: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (Matt. 20:25‒28). Robert Greenleaf (1904‒1990) developed the theory of servant leadership while working in the world of business. His book Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness (Greenleaf 1977) has been very 5 https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/top-15-christian-quotes-about-authority/#ixzz5f 9eJUMc5 (accessed February 2, 2020). 88 Authority and Conscience influential in and outside the ecclesiastical world. There has been widespread acknowledgment that it reflects in many ways the leadership model that Christ taught and manifested. Hermann Hesse’s novel The Journey to the East (see the new edition: Hesse 2011), which first appeared in German in 1932, is a powerful story about the meaning of servant leadership, that perhaps cap- tures the essence of servant leadership in a more powerful way than any aca- demic book about leadership theories. As a group of people goes on a pilgrimage to the East, a man called Leo carries the bags and does all the chores. But later it becomes clear that he did far more than that. He also kept the group together with his presence and his songs (Ciulla 2004, 17). I would suggest that there is a particular area that needs more thought, namely the nomenclature that is commonly used when we speak of persons in the church who have authority.
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