A Vertical World

by Kelly Knowlden

Why does an authority have authority to speak?  In America, we believe that Presidents speak because they have been granted authority by the people, police have authority because they wear a uniform and drive a special car, and journalists have authority because they have investigated an incident and report what they saw.  All of those are poor reasons for students who question everything that a person says.  (This happens to most young people about the time of high school.)  

Authority generally means having the right or power to direct the actions or thoughts of another.  In a vertical world, that right ultimately rests in the Author (notice the similarity to authority) of the universe.  God has given certain positions authority.  The position holds the authority.  The person fills the position.  There are various layers of civil authority.  There is ecclesiastical authority.  There is  familial authority.  Each of these positions, and many more, derives their authority from God.  The person that fills the position may not be smarter, bigger, wiser, better educated, more noble, or have any other qualities that would make him a good leader.  However, because the position holds authority, the person must be heeded when he speaks.

Parents must be continually vigilant in living out and talking about this vertical world.  A parent’s authority will naturally wane as children leave the home.  But living under a parent’s authority prepares children for living in a world where they will be told what to do by other authorities.