Why 'Savage Shepherds'?
Because 2,600 years that is how the prophet Ezekiel described the leaders of God's people - and nothing much changes.
God spoke to Ezekiel: 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel.'
Many Christian leaders believe that God sees them as a ruling elite, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Ezekiel's time they treated God's people badly, and the Good Shepherd has something to say about it.
While there is a legitimate place for legitimate leadership, it's bottom-up, as demonstrated by Jesus; 'The greatest among you will be the servant of all.' Authority that leaves you feeling used, condemned or inadequate is outlawed. The basis of Spiritual Abuse - nothing new - is the concept of clergy and laity. A concept that has no basis in sripture, because it has no place in God's heart. It was introduced to the early church by Cyprian of Carthage (200 – 258 AD), a former pagan orator who converted to Christianity and who appears to have brought some of his pagan practices and beliefs with him.
Spiritual Abuse is similar to Domestic Abuse. For it to happen two things need to be in place; one person believes he has the right to dominate, and the other person believes he is subservient. One has an inflated opinion of himself, the other lacks self esteem.
Domestic Abuse I deal with in other places, but the solution to Spiritual Abuse is a healthy dose of self esteem, which develops when we realise how much we are loved by the Father. Jesus said, 'As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.' Read that again, and then again, and again... Jesus loves you and me as much as, and in the same way as the Father loves him. Isn't that fantastic!
Jesus taught that there is no hierarchy in his kingdom. Matthew 23: 'Don’t let anyone call you Teacher, for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.' Learn to lean deeply into the Good Shepherd, learn to rely on the Spirit of Truth, whom Jesus promised would '...guide us into all truth' (John 15:13).