© By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min.

“Thoughtfully I pondered what goes on within this world whenever men have power over their fellows” (Ecclesiastes 8:9, Moffatt). These are the words of a Hebrew teacher who saw the myriad ways men use and abuse power. As Abraham Lincoln reflected, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Charles Colson, who lived in the power of the Nixon White House, sees power tempting the Christian away from the service to others. “It’s difficult,” says Colson, “to stand on a pedestal and wash the feet of those below.”

Some persons have used power to hurt others. Executives at WorldCom misused their power. Its stock plummeted from a high of $64.50 to as low as a nickel. Up to 17,000 employees will likely lose their jobs and the company has declared bankruptcy (Christian Century, July 31-August 13, 2002). Around 1800 B.C., Joseph’s jealous brothers “saw him coming. They recognized him in the distance and made plans to kill him. ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they exclaimed. ‘Come on, let’s kill him'” (Genesis 37:18-20). How many dreamers have been killed by misused power over the centuries!

Some persons have used power to help others. Healing the Children, a non-profit group in Spokane, Wash., arranged to bring twin sisters from Guatemala to the Los Angeles Medical Center. The girls were attached at the top of the skull and faced different directions. After a 22-hour surgical operation on August 6, the twins were successfully separated. Dr. Jorge Lazareff, the lead neurosurgeon, said, “It’s in the hands of God. It’s God’s Will.” Of course, for God’s Will is always human well being. In creating human beings in his image, God shared with humans the continuing work of imposing order on chaos. The universe is always in an uncompleted state. It requires the work of human beings, who are God’s partners, to finish and repair the world.

Some persons have used power to harmonize human life by helping people to get along together. Sixty years ago, in 1942, the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania elected Dr. Oliver J. Hart, Rector of Trinity Church, Boston, as Bishop Coadjutor. Joseph Fort Newton, a priest in this Diocese and one of my personal heroes, said this about Bishop Hart: “With his soft Southern voice, his genius of faith and friendship, and his constructive Christian vision . . . Bishop Hart has already done great things for us” (Newton, River of Years, p. 264). The good Bishop brought harmony to the Diocese by following the words of St. Paul: “Love does not demand its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NLT).