Sixteen-year old Uzziah ascended to the leadership of Judah after his father’s demise and reigned righteously for much of his 52 year rule. However, his arrogance led to his ruin.
Leadership
The Gods Have Come Down: The Temptations of Praise
What happens down, deep within you when your subordinates, or even friends, begin to praise your holy name? Does your heart rise up and meet their praises with praises of its own? Does your heart congratulate itself and take on new proportions?
What’s In a Title?
The dangers of ego and hypocrisy often come into play when titles are a means of image control. It takes the self-examination of motives to avoid toxic leadership and maintain genuine integrity and character within all our spheres of influence.
Lazarus Must Die: When Image Control Takes No Prisoners
Jesus, after performing the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, gained followers, threatening the authority of the chief priests and Pharisees. These abusive leaders plotted to both kill Lazarus and defame Jesus to maintain their control. They, like other abusive leaders, used a variety of tactics to suppress the truth and protect their image.
Your Guilt Remains: Repentance Means Seeing
John 9 narrates the story of Jesus healing a man born blind on a Sabbath, challenging the rules of the Pharisees. The Pharisees' refuse to acknowledge their sin and Jesus makes clear their guilt remains as long as they think they see but don't.
Do Not Cover Their Guilt: Imprecatory Praying
Imprecatory Praying: It is a hard topic for Christians to wrap their heads around. When I normally speak of "imprecatory praying" I give qualifications. But Nehemiah, in a display of raw emotion, simply asks the Lord to destroy this enemy.
Making Too Much of Toxic Church Leadership?
A blogger argues that the focus on bad pastors and their abusive leadership in the Christian community might have been overdone and could overshadow the more common existence of good pastors. I disagree. Churches and Christians are called to judge inside their ranks and expose pastoral abuse when it occurs. The Bible calls for greater accountability for church leaders and warns against tolerating abusive practices in leadership.
Complicity: Holding Places of Prominence
Those who make themselves complicit with toxic leadership will often do so due to fear of loss of prominence or privilege. A great example is found in Esther's story.
Individual Responsibility: But I was raised that way!
The article deliberates on the topic of abusive leaders who learned harmful behaviors from childhood. While some might give such individuals a pass due to their upbringing, the emphasis is that everyone is accountable for their actions, irrespective of their background. Abusers hold responsibility for their actions and must seek repentance and transformation. Christian teachings underscore this principle of individual accountability, urging people to reject oppressive behaviors, even if learned from authority figures or role models.
Rachel’s Story: Tenacious Pursuit of Justice
When Rachel Black was struggling to make sense of her abusive pastor, there was no Christianity Today Mars Hill podcasts and seemingly no books on how an employee in a church is to respond to such disregard. All she knew was the "hairs on her arms stood up" as she sought to understand her boss.