Dissenter

Dissent:

1. Difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement.
2. The refusal to conform to the authority or doctrine of an established church; nonconformity.
3. Law A justice's refusal to concur with the opinion of a majority, as on a higher court. Also called dissenting opinion.

I am a dissenter. I have come to grips with this fact. I don't much like this part of my character, but it is the very fiber of who I am. I simply see things differently then most folks. I'm not sure if this is a curse or a blessing? I am not one to rejoice in being status quo, simply to save face or energy. I have tried to fight this part of who I am, but I am coming to believe that this is how God made me. And, that it is a good thing!

The problem is, I haven't always known how to respond appropriately with my dissent. I have been very immature when it comes to handling my responses to those in authority or leadership. I have been prideful in my opposition to different leader's abuse of their power and authority. I have been on a journey in rightfully handling my opposing views, but it has only been recently that I have realized this. As I look back, I now can see that the Lord has been trying to mold me through the trials I've gone through because of my dissenting world view. The truth is that dissent is not evil in and of itself. It is how we choose to respond to others when we hold a dissenting point of view where we will be held accountable.

Sadly, the church and the world view dissenters as rebellious. They are misunderstood and isolated. They are viewed as those who bring division and are the cause of disunity. The charges may not be altogether unjust, but I would dare say that if we properly understood power and authority we would embrace rather than shun these radical thinkers. We view their thoughts and opinions as threats to the status quo, rather than opportunities to challenge dead religion and reveal more glory of the living God.

I've been told that it's sin to question our spiritual authority. I've heard sermons about it. I've been told to read books about it. BUT I still do not believe it is sin. I believe it can be, but that it is not always the case.

I came out of a church that has been deemed by some to be a cult because of their views on authority. The church was connected to a larger network of churches, that suffers from the same flawed theology. We sat under sermons that said that God always defines men through men. That it was the leadership of the church who would put identity on you. We listened to sermons about how it was sin to uncover the sin of someone in leadership using the story of Noah and his sons as support. We listened to sermons stating that it was sin to question leadership. We even listened to sermons suggesting that we needed the approval of the leadership in order to pursue a relationship with the opposite sex.

My mother said it was a cult, and at the time I dismissed it. There were (and are) good people in that church. I was in that church! There was a lot being done for the Kingdom within our tiny local body. I saw things that I didn't like. I saw things that made me angry. But, I always thought the problem was me, because that was what I was told. That I was just rebellious, and unwilling to submit to authority.

The other day, I was talking with a former member of that church, who revealed to me that I was a dissenter. He said, " lot of strong men buckled and ended up breaking and submitting to the leadership. A lot of young energetic bucks ended up bowing their knee and submitting to the leadership." "But," he said, "you wouldn't." He called me "unbreakable." I advised that I don't think that this (being "unbreakable") was always to my credit. He replied, "probably not, but it is the way God made you." He said, "God made you a dissenter. You asked the dirtiest questions with the dirtiest words - "Why?""

I took away from the conversation that he didn't understand me at the time, but now he realized that I was not being difficult. I was simply being who God made me to be. The problem was, I desired for the leadership to place identity on me. To say, "Hey! Look at this guy. God created him for __________. Let's empower him to do it!" However sadly, (but thankfully) that never happened. Consequently I was viewed as a threat to the powers that be. Thankfully, God protected me from getting caught up further in the folly.

My response however, was anger and disappointment. I quickly became disillusioned. I felt as though God Himself had put me on the shelf and forgotten about me. I wanted so desperately to be one of "them," that I never stopped to think what that actually meant. In hindsight, I don't want to be one of them, and am glad God prevented me.

You see, most people in leadership surround themselves with weaker leaders. They choose men who will not oppose them. Yesmen. They chose men who think like they do. Men who will always agree that the leader has the best idea. That he hears the most clearly from God. They do not want to be challenged. They do not want to be confronted in any way that might cause them discomfort or show signs of personal weakness.

But the problem is, while God certainly may have gifted an individual to lead, it is error on the part of the body to look to one person to fulfill all of the needs, answer all of the questions, and provide all of the direction for the body. Paul said it this way:

If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? (1 Corinthians 12:17)

As leaders we are naturally threatened by other strong leaders. We view them as threats. Leaders who may be stronger and more effective than we are, and could possibly take away our position. Look at the scribes and pharisees of Jesus' day. They feared that Jesus was going to take away their power and authority. Their motives had nothing to do with bringing glory to the Father, but rather in protecting their power and their authority.

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:47-48)

In this passage, "our place" refers to their position of authority, while "our nation" refers to their position of power. They were not concerned with the things of God, but rather worried about losing the power and authority that they had worked so hard to get. Jesus was a dissenter. He was threatening to take away both their place and their nation.

Should we not rather surround ourselves with men and brothers who don't think like we do, so that we might be stronger together? But the problem is we view differences of opinion as division. If someone thinks differently they must be the devil himself. After all, haven't we already figured out who God is? Haven't we already determined how and when He will act? Hasn't God chosen us to be the leaders? Wouldn't that mean that He chose us, because we know what God wants best?

Out of high school, I spent about 6 months on the mission field. I was on a small team of college age students, and had a wonderful time. But there was one guy on the team that I just could not stand. Sure we got along a lot of the time. For surfacy type stuff. But if the conversation ever went deeper, tempers flared because of our differences of opinion. As we all returned home, I had lost touch with most of the team almost immediately, but this one guy. I remember making the comment at one point, "It would be just like God to put this guy in path for the rest of my life." Well, lo and behold my prophecy came true. This guy called and said he decided he was going to attend the school I had decided to attend. "Great! I knew it! It was just like God!" That was almost 10 years ago now, and as I reflect on my relationship with this guy I couldn't think of a better friend. Do we see things differently? Yes. Are we both opinionated? Yes. But strangely, I think that our differences has been our bond, and has made both of us stronger. Has the relationship always been pleasant? No, there were rough stretches. But today, I can honestly say that I love this guy like a brother. It was just like God to bring to hammer-heads together, because He knew in His infinite wisdom, that we would each be better men because of it.

The feminization of America has led those in leadership to surround themselves with pillows. They desire to be comfortable. Leaders are like iron swords. They are strong and sharp. If you get in their way, watch out, because many times they will cut you down. However, when they choose to surround themselves with men and women who would not dare question them, they set themselves up for failure. Why? Because of a simple principle. If you want to sharpen iron, you've got to use iron. You can't use a pillow.

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17)

That's why God creates men (and women) who are dissenters. To provide different points of view, so that we can sharpen each other. So we can challenge each other in a Godly way. Why? So that God can receive more glory. So that more of God can be revealed to a lost and dying world.