Immunity to Critique Leads to Political and Spiritual Abuse of Power

Last updated on: May 15, 2017 at 6:03 am by Paul Louis Metzger

Immunity to Critique Leads to Political and Spiritual Abuse of Power 2017-05-15T06:03:26-07:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

See No Evil, Photo Credit: Hugo Rodrigues

No one is immune to critique. In fact, we all need it. However, when a leader claims directly or indirectly that he or she is immune to critique, it is a warning that (further) a devastating abuse of power is around the corner.

I so resonated with former U. S. President George W. Bush stating earlier this year that the media is indispensable to democracy. An independent media is not an enemy of the people: “‘We need an independent media to hold people like me to account,’ Bush said. ‘Power can be very addictive, and it can be corrosive. And it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.’”

What a startling contrast to statements made by President Donald Trump. Concerns over President Trump’s attempts at political immunity from critique and accountability have spilled over into his administration’s firing of FBI Director James Comey (Refer here, here, and here).

It is not simply in politics that abuse of power can occur. The same can easily and all too often happen in the religious domain. Thus, it is important that spiritual leaders are accountable rather than immune to critique. It reminds me of a story of a pastor of a large church who said that the Apostle Paul was wrong to rebuke the Apostle Peter, as recorded in Galatians chapter 2:11-14. Here is what Paul wrote:

But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

According to this pastor, leaders like Peter are immune to such challenges.

In the political realm, presidents and other leaders are bound to the Constitution. In the religious sphere, pastors, theologians and the like are accountable to the Bible. We must always place ourselves under Scripture, not over it, in the church.

Having said all this, we must guard against full-blown skepticism, as well as confirmation bias, of which supporters and detractors alike can be guilty. We often hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil of our own positions, only those of the “other side.” Confirmation bias interprets events and information according to the views we embrace, including unduly positive or negative perspectives of various leaders. For example, a culture made up of suspicious and cynical people often waits in expectation for leaders to fall from grace in the political and religious spheres, whether it be Comey or Trump. Perhaps in the days ahead we will find that President Trump was justified in firing FBI Director Comey. While we may remain doubtful and desire a full disclosure, we must remain open to the possibility that the President was right to fire Comey until a full inquiry (possibly involving a special prosecution or independent investigation) is made.

The public—whether it be citizens, parishioners, the media and their readers/respondents—wield power, too. It is important that we all seek after truth, which is not equivalent to the selection of data that confirms our opinions (such confirmation bias of opinions is sometimes claimed about the Left and Right, including the Trump-Comey conflict). Just as leaders must not play the immunity card, we should not hide behind alias monikers or reference only anonymous sources, but open ourselves up to full disclosure. An independent media that holds leaders accountable is important to good governance, as is the prophetic Word of freedom in the church, as in the case of Paul’s rebuke of Peter. But they themselves must remain open to critique based on sound reasoning and full disclosure of facts while also guarding against media monopolies so as not to fall prey to fake news.

What will it take for us to sense and be honest that we all struggle with objectivity, that we all tend to think we are more objective than those on the other side, and that we are immune to charges of bias? It will take a willingness not to immunize ourselves from those we find irrational or disgusting, and to listen to them as they share their concerns, including what they think about our positions. As in the case that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, bias blinds us, and absolute bias blinds absolutely. We can try to immunize ourselves from critique all we want, but if we don’t recognize our cognitive fragility, we will not be able to diagnose the devastating disease of falsehood and divisiveness in society before it is too late.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 9, 2017

Cultural Fragmentation Often Trumps Science

Next Post

May 13, 2017 “In Nothing We Trust”: How Do We Restore Confidence in America?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz