I feel the need to expand on my Controlling Leaders post a while back. Specifically, on why lay people put up with all the crappy leadership and abuse.

As I mentioned, we are taught to be abused. That’s why we can’t see it. It’s the status quo. We think it’s normal. And worst of all – it’s that way just about everywhere. And our benevolent abusers have been taught that their abusive behaviors are for our own good.

This is why churches are dealing with child abusers – and don’t for a second think this is limited to Catholics. Christians of all denominations have created and passed along a church culture that seeks out controlling people to serve as their overlords, er, pastors. And then we teach ourselves to be abused and controlled by them.

(To be clear, I’m not saying all pastors are abusers – two of my best friends are ordained.)

This is where Loki comes in. In the Avengers movie, Loki has some fabulous lines about his plans for humanity. As he enters the scene, he tells Nick Fury, “I am Loki of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose…I come with glad tidings. Of a world made free…from freedom.” Later, in front of a captive audience he tells them “It is the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation.” And I wholeheartedly agree; Loki is spot on in that assessment. But why?

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis talks about how we were made for eternity and that this necessarily means some of our cravings will never been satisfied in life. Yes, we have been made to be ruled, in a sense. Not by an earthly tyrant, but by a truly loving, benevolent, perfect, long-suffering, compassionate, graceful, merciful God. One who has both legitimate claim to lordship and who doesn’t demand that we kneel. Someone who will literally out-wait us in our rebellion thru eternity (should we desire it), always ready to celebrate our return when we are ready.

But we are easily convinced to misplace our loyalties with leaders, politicians, dictators, abusive husbands/wives, and the like. In our rebellion, we crave a twisted form of lordship found in subjugation. My only thought on why, is that the enemy’s weapon is deception. He seeks to twist or distort truth. And in our rebellion, we do the same.

It is hard for us to believe God can even be truly loving, long-suffering, or merciful. That’s no coincidence.