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"All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." We've all heard and repeated that statement innumerable times. We've read of kings and dictators throughout history who have been corrupted by power. We are told that our politicians succumb to its snare when they enter the chambers of government. We've seen people we know become tyrants in their own small kingdoms. And we know, in our own spirits, that being in control over other people can be an exhilarating thing.
We live in a culture which regards power and authority with extreme suspicion and which has instituted stringent safeguards against their acquisition and use.
But can it be that, in our rush to put restrictions on power, we have gone too far? Can it be that we have made a law out of a valid generalization? Can it be that power does not necessarily corrupt and that power, even "absolute" power, has its place in our lives and society? Can it be that, by stripping leaders, law enforcement agencies and parents of power and authority, we have released an even greater evil on society?
Recently anarchism has had a revival in pop music. True anarchism has never had a very large following, but, after nearly 50 years of dormancy, it has again found a niche in society. This niche is neither very large nor very visible. Yet, when we declare, "All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely", we are in fact repeating the anarchist manifesto.
Although the anarchist movement itself is very small, much of the mood in our society in fact reflects an anarchist spirit. It is a spirit whose driving instinct is not some dream of a utopian future but simply the abhorrence of power and authority. It is a spirit whose description fits remarkably with a prophecy recorded in the Bible nearly 2000 years ago:
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them" (II Timothy 3:1-5).
The Bible repeatedly records the abuse of power and cautions us about its dangers. But the Bible never states, "All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." While acknowledging its danger, the Bible still affirms the necessity of clearly defined power structures at every level of human interaction. Power and authority are needed in families, institutions and governments.
Writing under a particularly abusive Roman government, the apostle Paul still states, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. . . . The one in authority . . . is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:1-4). This is not an idyllic view of authority but a blunt recognition that, while power does have its terror, the absence of power and authority is an even greater danger.
As our own social fabric begins to fray, maybe it is time that we revisited our assumptions with regard to power and authority. Maybe we, too, will come to conclude that the danger of lawlessness is in fact greater than the danger of the abuse of power. Maybe it's not too late.
James Toews is senior pastor of Neighbourhood Church in Nanaimo, B.C. This article was originally published in the Nanaimo Daily Free Press in 1997.
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