Subdue the Earth, Not Each Other
By: Jason Park
Tags: Church, Books, Abuse, Religion, Reading

Subdue the Earth, Not Each Other

A review of Diane Langberg’s new *Redeeming Power: Understanding Abuse and Authority in the Church*

God created a one-flesh union and called that union of male and female to rule and subdue the earth, not each other.

A scorcher of a quote so near the beginning of Diane Langberg’s new book on authority and abuse in the church, Redeeming Power. It sets the stage so well for what’s to come: a call for the church to condemn all forms of abuse and take steps to make sure that abusers are stopped before they can repeat their crimes against God. Langberg’s call finds its center in the gospel of Jesus Christ, more specifically the part of the gospel that states humans are created in the image of God and have worth because of their Creator. Spiritual abuse makes a mockery of the gospel, and Langberg is clear that it must be stopped:

Abuse of any kind is always damaging to the image of God in humans. The self is shattered, fractured, and silenced and cannot speak who it is into the world.

But as I said, this is not a polemic against abusers, but the church itself. We have failed on so many levels to stand up for the weak among our own brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? One reason is that in so many cases we both worship and crave power. We worship those in places of earthly power instead of worshipping the God who holds all ultimate power. We crave being close to those that hold earthly power because we feel we might taste some if we stay loyal. Langberg writes:

Godly power starts in the kingdom of our hearts, is expressed in the flesh, and then moves out into the world. We make the mistake of seeing power as an external thing. But power is not about having rule over a church, or a parishioner, or an institution, or a country. It’s internal, not external. God’s kingdom is the kingdom of the heart, not the kingdom of our churches, institutions, missions, or schools. He is building his kingdom, not ours, and he does that by exercising authority over the human heart to the extent that it is filled with the Spirit of Christ. That is godly power … The church and the individuals in it have been complicit with horrific things that call for sanctuary. We are called to be a sacred place for the vulnerable. We have often chosen to be a safe place for the powerful and have deceived ourselves into believing that God would call that good.

Another reason we may fail to stand up for the abused is a belief that we are actually protecting the name of Jesus from being tarnished. “Don’t let it get out,” we think, “or it will ruin our witness.” But the truth has a way of finding the light of day, and when it does we are the ones ruining the name of Jesus by protecting those in power rather than protecting brothers and sisters in Christ from becoming victims. Langberg poses the question so many people wonder, but counters with the truth:

If word gets out that someone is committing fraud, abusing children, beating his wife, or treating group members in nasty, bullying, and ostracizing ways, then the reputation of Jesus will be marred, and we must prevent that. How can it ever be wrong to protect the name of Jesus? See how we can use godly words to cover ungodly deeds? … We often confuse the system of Christianity (Christendom) with Christ. But no so-called Christian system is truly God’s work unless it is full of truth and love.

That is the key: we are not called to protect the system of Christianity. We are called to protect the church. The church is the whole body, and that includes the marginalized. Protecting the earthly powerful at the expense of the powerless is not protecting God’s name. In that case, you are prioritizing name recognition over God’s laws. That doesn’t end well for anyone, especially those aiding the leaders in their ill-used power grabs.

As you can tell, Redeeming Power is not a light read, but the biblical truth and practical application of this book make it a must-read for many Christians in the church today. If you have ever dealt with abuse in the church, anyone close to you has, or you want to be prepared if/when this is something you must deal with as a church, I would highly recommend. I look forward to a day where books don’t have to exist because churches are doing their jobs in curtailing, but that is not where we are for the American church in 2020. Langberg’s Redeeming Power traces out a clear path, along with the biblical reasoning that should bring us there.

I received a review copy of Redeeming Power courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.