Fearful People Do Great Harm: Power, Weakness, and Sacred Story

We use a story from the time of the Roman Empire as a point of departure to shed light on the perennial problem of violence that rises from fear.

This story, revelatory of a theological understanding of what is often true of men who want to appear strong but who are really weak, illuminates current events: accusations of abuse in some Hillsong churches, and Putin in Ukraine, for example.

Good leadership-- variously understood as power exercised for the good of others, or servant leadership-- is precious. It doesn't matter whether it is exercised nationally, locally, or next door: good leadership is precious.

We need to be vigilant against bad leadership. Humans are weak; power corrupts. If we are not vigilant, bad leadership ascends, and the city suffers.