The World's Finger

"They are highly submissive to established authority, aggressive in the name of that authority, and conventional to the point of insisting everyone should behave as their authorities decide. They are fearful and self-righteous and have a lot of hostility in them that they readily direct toward various out-groups. They are easily incited, easily led, rather uninclined to think for themselves, largely impervious to facts and reason, and rely on social support to maintain their beliefs. They bring strong loyalty to their in-groups, have thick-walled, highly compartmentalized minds, use a lot of double standards in their judgments, are surprisingly unprincipled at times, and are often hypocrites."- Canadian psychologist, Robert Altemeyer.

 The world is pointing the finger at the church. They have much to contend with, and much to object against Christian fundamentalism. Are they wrong?

I believe that society's hatred of Christianity is largely justified. We have become traditionalists and legalists. Their objections are large not against Christ nor against His gospel but against the many, many, evils, or traditional Christianity.  

I have previously written on the "Fuhrer Prinzip", or the egocentric authoritarianism found in many, many, church groups and cults.

We are so inclined to worship a man, a teacher, and idolizing them. We become imitators of phrases and mannerisms. We respond to arguments with "typical" reasoning, trained and ingrained into our minds. The world is calling us hypocrites - how much more Jesus? We are walking according to the flesh - according to our carnal, irrational, subjective, closed and limited, minds and emotions. We are living the "Christian life" for our own selves. We fail to know Christ, because one needs to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

Cult-like authoritarianism consists of two factors - a carnal, selfish, leader, and carnal, selfish, followers. They follow not after God but after a man.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. (Matthew 22:25 NASV)

 And 1st Peter 5 have more on the topic. It clearly states that leaders must not have the "I am the LORD, follow me" mentality.  

Anyway, just to summarize my thoughts.

Some of the things a "leader' must be:

1) An Imitator and disciple of Christ
2) The humblest of servants to all the flock.
3) Not one to "exercise authority" but to demonstrate godliness
4) Humble, repentent, and open about his own sins and failings
5) Encourage men not to be disciples of him alone and conform to his image, but of Christ over all.
6) Not greedy for money
7) 

There is no place for a dictator in the Kingdom of God. The assembly or congregation of saints is not a one-man show.

All of us must:
1) Have discernment
2) Be clear, truthful, and honest
3) Have a gentle, humble, spirit, not of course an arrogant and rebellious one
4) Know God the God's Word for oneself, and not depend on the "leader"
5) Have intellectual honesty (I stress on that a lot), not bury our heads in the sand, but know all the truth and all the facts
6) Not be reliant on exterior factors ("social support")
7) Free from loyalty and service to a man (idolatry)
8) Not be dependent on weak, repetitive, indoctrinated, arguments and phrases.
9) Take our beliefs to the extreme to mentally test their soundness. Absolute, rigorous, thinking!!!

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)

Scripture is so balanced. Taken out of context, this can be a pretext for authoritarianism. Yet, if we all supremely care for others more than ourselves, to put others first and not our own gain, there will be perfect unity and oneness in Christ, not of the fleshly, selfish, kind found in most of Christianity. 

The world is not wrong to call Christians bigots because many times we really are intolerant and unloving. We can still be principled, however, and not be a religious, rigid, fundamentalist bigot.