Respect Your Authority - Chris Tibbetts

On the afternoon of September 18, 2016, I sat in a hospital conference room with my pastor. It was a Sunday, and after leading worship that morning he had come to be with my family — and to pray with my father one last time. My brother and I needed to make difficult end-of-life decisions, and our mom needed to sit bedside for whatever time she had left with her cancer- stricken husband. Our pastor prayed with us, he shepherded us through ethical questions by pointing us to Scripture, he listened through our tears and celebrated the victory of Christ in my father’s life, even as the blight of sin’s curse was exhausting him a few doors down the hall. Nine hours later, when my father drew his final breath, he prayed with us, he hugged us, he loved us — he pastored us.

In the weeks, months, and even years that have passed since that Sunday afternoon, our family has spoken often of what a blessing our pastor was to us in that season. To be sure, he was a blessing to us before and after that season as well, but in those moments, his ministry to us was invaluable and will forever be seared into our collective memories. He provided wisdom, guidance, and sincerity at a time when we had little of ourselves to give.

I am certain that our anecdote is not that unique. Throughout the centuries, pastors have led their parishioners. They have cared for them, they have loved them, and they have shown them the beauty of Christ in the depths of their vulnerability. And in the process, they have likely earned respect that extends far beyond theology. They have gained a voice afforded by their pastoral leadership that transcends disciplines. Indeed, this is a good thing, as there is no area of life that is compartmentalized outside the sovereignty of God. Christian theology should inform all areas of the life of a Christian, and pastors have thoughtfully provided guidance for their sheep in this way for centuries.

Pastors, elders, and leaders in the church, though, must be mindful that we are leaders — and are looked to for leadership — in areas of life beyond exegesis, counseling, and church administration. When we share our thoughts, opinions, and preferences on any number of topics, our congregations listen. Therefore, we must respect the authority we have been afforded. Particularly in the midst of the present coronavirus pandemic, with the distribution of a vaccine around the corner, be mindful of that authority and respect that when we share thoughts, opinions, and preferences, they have significance. This is not a plea to be quiet, it is a plea to be mindful. To refrain from speaking cavalierly or in areas in which we know we may be ignorant.

I am not a pastor, though I do hold a seminary degree. I am an oncology pharmacist and have held a variety of professional roles throughout my career requiring the critique of clinical trials and clinical trial design. My pastor met me where I was that Sunday afternoon as I wrestled with bioethical decisions about my dad’s cancer. He inquired in the areas where he knew I had medical expertise and humbly shepherded us through the difficult end-of-life decisions before us. He was steadfast in the hope of the gospel.

The coronavirus situation before the church today presents a similar, albeit empiric, opportunity. Operation Warp Speed, and the politicians who enabled it, the collective efforts of scientists, clinical trialists, and drug discovery teams, should all be roundly commended for their collaborative contributions to produce coronavirus vaccines in such a short amount of time — roughly 10 months after identifying the viral genome. By comparison, a targeted cancer therapy generally takes 3–4 years to reach this point of development, in the most favorable scenario, and would likely have only been studied in a few hundred patients during

 that time versus the tens of thousands who took part in the vaccine clinical trials. The volunteers who came out to participate in these trials should also be commended. I took part in one of the clinical trials, as did dozens of people from my church and community. Many of us were randomized to receive the vaccine months ago. The rapid response of volunteers for these vaccine trials has been remarkable and has exceeded anything I’ve observed in my years of working with cancer therapeutics. The tens of thousands of volunteers, the hundreds — if not — thousands of scientists, the government regulators, the world — all by God’s grace — came together, contributing what they uniquely had been given to offer, in an effort to establish dominion over a pathogen that is progressing through creation.

Nonetheless, we know that in spite of the positive pharmaceutical news of the past few weeks, all is not settled and the acute need for sound leadership from the church, and within the church, remains. The church has the sacred remit to be purveyors of Truth in season and out of season. There is no time for rest from that charge, as our time only grows ever shorter until Christ’s return. Yet in this season, with politically charged rhetoric and economic catastrophe augmented by what can seem like a trial and error approach by leaders at times. In this season, where poorly designed retrospective analyses and scientific articles without peer- review are regularly volleyed about authoritatively by pastors, accountants, and other non- medical professionals, the majority of whom can be presumed to not have the years of doctoral and post-doctoral training it takes to critique this medical literature with high fidelity. In this season, the church must hold the line as purveyors of Truth, but we must also guard ourselves in that call. We speak with authority because we speak the Truth. May we be bold and winsome in it, yet may we be measured in the totality of our speech. May we not presume that conspiracy lurks around every corner. Certainly the world remains fallen, and power-hungry bad actors will strive to foster evil, however, this reality should not cause us to darken the honest contributions, indeed the remarkable contributions, of scientists from independent academic, private, and public labs across the globe. In this season, we must look to those in our communities with medical expertise to help us discern what we do not and, perhaps, cannot know at present. We must look to those we trust and do so with a spirit of humility and teachability.

Our pastor shepherded us. He loved us. He listened where we could contribute and helped us see resolution. He nourished us in the Word and he pointed us to Christ. Respect your authority, for you have been given it by the Lord.