Power, Ignorance, and the Responsibility of Leadership

by Dave Miller

Power Built on Ignorance

Most power in society depends not on what people know, but on what they don’t know. This is the tragic reality of human leadership apart from Christ. Leaders don’t exist without followers, and followers often give deference not because they have tested the leader’s worth, but because they perceive authority.

Sometimes this deference is well-placed: when a leader’s character and skill are evident, when wisdom shines through, when the community recognizes the value of their leadership. “Wise people will admire them. Those with understanding will hold them in high esteem” (Proverbs 3:35, NLT).

But more often than not, leadership is shaped by the abdication of responsibility from followers. It is easier to defer, to let someone else carry the weight, to assume one’s own deficiency and the leader’s sufficiency. Over time, leaders learn that power is most easily maintained not through service, but through control—by keeping others ignorant and dependent.

This is how oppressive systems thrive: by convincing the people they cannot think, act, or decide for themselves, and must remain in the dark.

The Poverty of Abdication

As I have moved into and out of significant niche leadership circles, one thing has become clear: the ignorance of followers, whether willful or assumed, is neither true nor helpful. The people of God are not as deficient as they are made to believe.

When Israel demanded a king “like the nations” (1 Samuel 8), they abdicated their covenant responsibility to walk under God’s rule. They believed themselves incapable of governing under Yahweh’s word, so they looked for a man to do it for them. The Lord warned them:

“This is how a king will reign over you… He will take your sons and daughters… He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards… And you will be his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.” (1 Samuel 8:11, 14, 17–18, NLT)

Their abdication led directly to exploitation. What looked like safety became bondage. Ignorance, whether chosen or imposed, is a poor foundation for leadership.

Ruling in Christ: Authority for the Good

The gospel offers a radical alternative. Ruling in Christ is never about keeping people in the dark. Christ’s authority rests on revelation, not ignorance. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light” (Matthew 4:16, NLT).

Jesus rules not by diminishing His followers but by establishing them. He declares, “You are the light of the world… Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14, 16, NLT). His leadership empowers His people to take responsibility, to reflect His kingdom, and to grow into maturity.

The apostles carried this same vision. Paul reminded the Corinthians that leadership is not about personal power but about stewardship for others’ benefit:

“Our goal is to work together so that you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.” (2 Corinthians 1:24, NLT)

Kingdom leadership strengthens others’ faith rather than weakening it into dependence.

Biblical Contrasts: Light vs. Darkness in Leadership

The Old Testament offers a sobering contrast. When kings hid the law of God, the people stumbled. When Josiah rediscovered the Book of the Law, he tore his robes in grief and led reform so that the people might live again by covenant truth (2 Kings 22).

Leadership flourishes when it brings God’s word into the light. It decays when it hides truth to protect power. The prophet Hosea summarized it plainly:

“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests.” (Hosea 4:6, NLT)

Ignorance is not neutrality—it is destruction.

The Responsibility of Followers

But responsibility doesn’t rest on leaders alone. If followers willingly abdicate discernment, if they crave ignorance because it feels easier, they enable the very systems that oppress them. Paul warned Timothy of this dynamic:

“A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT)

Followers must embrace responsibility, testing leaders by the truth of God’s word, not simply submitting to charisma, control, or convenience.

Leadership as Fatherhood, Not Domination

Paul offers perhaps the clearest kingdom picture of leadership when he compares himself to a father:

“Even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.” (1 Corinthians 4:15–16, NLT)

This is leadership not rooted in suppression but in nurture. A father builds up, disciplines, and takes responsibility for the family’s flourishing. He doesn’t keep children in ignorance; he prepares them for maturity. This is ruling in Christ—authority entrusted for the sake of blessing.

Flourishing Through Shared Responsibility

Flourishing in the kingdom is not a point, but a path. It is a way of life where both leaders and followers walk in the light, sharing responsibility under Christ’s rule. Leaders equip, followers engage, and together the community matures.

Disobedience and abdication lead to disintegration. Obedience and shared responsibility lead to fruitfulness. Jesus’ language of the “narrow path” (Matthew 7:13–14) is not merely personal morality—it is communal responsibility. The wrong path is evident so that we might repent, return, and walk in the way of wisdom together.

Conclusion: The Better Way

Worldly power depends on ignorance. Kingdom authority depends on revelation. Worldly leadership thrives on abdication. Kingdom leadership thrives on shared responsibility.

Christ rules by bringing His people into the light. He does not strip His followers of agency but entrusts them with responsibility. Leaders who rule in Him must do the same—stewarding authority not to create dependence, but to empower maturity.

Anything less is not ruling in Christ but ruling in the shadows.