Christian leaders who think they are beyond criticism, challenge or even evaluation are a danger to…well, pretty much everyone and everything.
Here’s one of my short podcast episodes where I riff on this issue a bit.
Manipulative, Insecure Christian Leaders
So true Daren. Definitely a dangerous attitude and something to be aware of as we love and serve others. Are we really loving and serving if we are untouchable?
I think we also need to recognize that it can be a protective mechanism we engage when we’ve been attacked or hurt in some way. The challenge is to somehow have a thick skin while still being vulnerable.
Thanks for your thoughtful insights. It is so important that we have healthy accountability and honest voices. And so important to learn to give and receive feedback, while processing what is accurate in that feedback.
An old Jack Trout quote is “Praise honest information.” The idea as he explains it is that the more authority we have, the less willing people are to give honest feedback. So we need to be alert to it. And, most irritatingly, he points out that when people complain about something, they are often being more honest than those who always say everything is just fine!