Leeman’s book is full of practical wisdom. I won’t illustrate this point other than to say that he writes as an experienced pastor and father. He uses a lot of real-life illustrations to drive his points home. Many times, I found myself impressed by his ability to describe something I’ve experienced but never been able to articulate. There is something for everyone in this book.
Jonathan Leeman’s latest book, Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing, comes at a pivotal time in Western culture. Plagued by angry partisanship, a recent worldwide pandemic, public exposes of abuse from well-known authority figures, and the internet’s assault on expertise, the very concept of authority has fallen on hard times. Public trust in the people in charge has eroded as the general public defaults to suspicion.
Leeman keenly illustrates the contemporary mood by pointing to the everyday experience of his readers. From popular culture, he observes that our movie heroes follow a predictable pattern: they tend to be individuals who stand up to evil authorities. Pointing to such figures as Luke Skywalker, Jason Bourne, and Disney princesses, Leeman writes, “It’s as if our moral imaginations cannot conceive of a different kind of hero, so saturated isn the Western soul with anti-authority-ism. The hero we cheer on is the person who resists the leadership, the system, the powers-that-be” (5). Leeman doesn’t delve into the content of contemporary pop music, but he would most certainly find more of the same there.
And who hasn’t noticed troubling trends in modern parenting? Leeman recounts a scene from a trendy coffee shop in Washington DC in which a “well-heeled DC power couple” desperately tries to placate an unruly three-year-old—a scene we’ve all witnessed in one context or another. In our world of “gentle parenting,” the tone of authority is missing and even seen by some reluctant parents as abusive. Leeman writes, “The husband pleads softly. The wife desperately offers toys and more treats. They reason with him as if he were an adult. It’s as if no one has ever explained that they’re the parents. That they can draw lines and impose consequences. That they don’t need the child’s consent, if it comes to it.” He concludes, “They don’t know how to exercise authority.” I would add that even if they knew how, many lack the moral courage to follow through with it.
Authority has never been easy. Whether you’re a parent or someone’s boss or a Little League coach or an exhausted teacher, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the pressure of having to make decisions and enforce rules within a domain in which not everyone is happy to comply. If you’re going to develop the moral courage to follow through, you first need to understand the nature of authority, why God has entrusted you with it, and how to use it responsibly. Enter Leeman’s book. While the book is full of practical wisdom, I want to focus on four strengths and one small weakness. But let me say this up front: I wish everyone would read this book. In fact, I’m so high on it that I’m planning to lead our church through it in the fall.
First, Leeman distinguishes between good authority and bad authority. Human beings tend to overreact. So often in history we have sought to right wrongs by overcorrecting out of one ditch into the another ditch on the other side of the road.