Religious leaders love to talk about "God given" authority, but does God really give men authority? The truth is, authority is the direct outcome of responsibility. No one is meant to have authority over something that they do not also take responsibility for, which is also called accountability. You are accountable for the things you try and take authority over and you are accountable for how you exercise that authority. There is a fine line between having authority over and controlling. What happens all too often in American churches, is that men try to take authority over things that they aren’t taking - or even can’t take - responsibility for and even worse, try and control others.
Parents have authority over their children because they take full responsibility for them, but that still does not mean they should attempt to control their children. Parents are responsible for (at the very least) feeding, clothing and sheltering their children and hopefully even providing for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. As children grow up and begin to take more responsibility for themselves, parents have less and less authority. Or at least that is how it should be. In too many cases, however, parents continue to try and have authority in the lives of children that are no longer their responsibility and this creates conflict.
Religious men frequently talk about “God-given” authority, but they don’t actually have authority for anything they are not taking responsibility for - unless we give it to them. Which we often do. They tell us their authority comes from God, but it really comes from us. They stop having authority when we stop giving it to them. A parent has authority in a child’s life regardless of whether the child gives them that authority or not, because they are completely dependent on their parents. They have no choice in the matter.
Pastors and religious leaders only have authority to the degree that we are dependent on them, which is why they do their best to create that dependence. They create a “product” that we believe we cannot live without and that is why we end up giving them authority. When you recognize and understand that you do not need a church, you free yourself from that dependence. While being a part of a church community can be a healthy experience, it will only remain that way so long as you do not give away too much authority. A child cannot go out and get a job and pay their own bills and take care of themselves, which is why parents have authority. Conversely, however, a religious leader does not pay your bills put a roof over your head and put food on the table for you - which is why they do not have authority OVER you. Too often, religious leaders want authority without responsibility, but authority and responsibility go hand-in-hand. No responsibility = no authority and the less responsibility you take the less authority you have. The less authority you give religious leaders, the less authority they have.
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Love & Respect Part 5: Power & Authority