When Civility Fails: A Pastor’s Response to Violence, Rage, and the Hard Work of Truth

-
Image
  by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D. Introduction — Why I must speak I have been reflecting on recent events in our nation and wrestling with how best to speak into them. As a follower of Jesus Christ and as a pastor, I believe my calling is to shed more light than heat in times of turmoil, and to offer the seasoning of grace in a culture that often tastes bitter. This will not be an exercise in soft-peddling. It will be frank, pastoral, and, where necessary, unflinching. Somewhere, this post will fail to address a consideration that it might have spoken to. I own it, saying in my defense only that space prevents my discussing everything that might be said on a subject and my views on it. Yet undoubtedly, this will cover more ground than most newspaper op-ed articles. Some readers may focus on one thing I say in the post without taking the entirety of what I said here in context. I pray you won't. But I resign myself to the likelihood some will. What I saw this past week I saw a young...
Post a Comment

When Power Fails and God Feels Silent: Trusting the Unseen King

-

by Bart L. Denny, PhD

 We live in a world that idolizes power. We see it in governments, corporations, pulpits, and headlines. The bigger the platform, the louder the voice, the flashier the success—the more we’re told it matters.

But what happens when power disappoints us?

History is full of powerful people whose strength was only skin deep. Corrupt kings. Fallen pastors. Empty promises from people we trusted. Sometimes, the very systems we hope will protect us end up causing the most harm.

It’s easy to feel discouraged—even cynical.

But there’s an ancient story tucked away in the Old Testament that offers a surprising dose of hope. A story where God’s name is never mentioned… yet His presence is unmistakable.

Enter Esther. A Forgotten Queen in a Forgotten Book.

The Book of Esther opens not with divine miracles, but with political theater. King Xerxes, ruler of the Persian Empire, throws a lavish, 180-day party. Golden couches. Flowing wine. Opulent gardens. It’s less a celebration and more a campaign rally—a carefully staged spectacle to display his dominance.

But the glitter masks something fragile.

Behind the pomp lies insecurity. When Queen Vashti refuses to be paraded before drunken men, Xerxes erupts in rage. He’s a man with unimaginable power—yet can’t handle one act of dignity from his own wife.

What follows is absurd: a royal decree to banish Vashti and preserve male dominance across the empire. (Yes, seriously.) It reads like satire. But it’s deadly real.

Power, When Left Unchecked, Becomes Destructive

Esther 1 holds up a mirror to every age, ours included. We don’t need to look far to see leaders exploiting others for gain. History is littered with the wreckage of abuse. And sadly, the Church isn’t immune.

What makes this story stand out isn’t just the critique of power—but what happens next.

Because while Xerxes plots and postures, God is quietly setting the stage.

Vashti’s removal—though unjust—opens a door. Esther, a young Jewish woman living in exile, is about to be placed in a position of influence. She’s not there yet. But already, divine fingerprints are all over the mess.

It’s easy to miss… unless you know where to look.

The Quiet Power of Providence

Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that never mentions God. There are no prophets, no parted seas, no fire from heaven.

But if you’ve ever looked back on your life and seen how unexpected turns brought you to the right place at the right time, you already understand Esther’s message:

God doesn’t need the spotlight to be sovereign.

He doesn’t shout over the chaos—He works through it. He isn’t absent when life feels unfair—He’s operating in ways we don’t always see. Even in silence, He’s setting redemptive plans in motion.

That’s the beauty of biblical providence: God orchestrates the ordinary for extraordinary purposes.

When the Cross Looked Like Defeat

There’s no better example than Jesus.

On the day of His crucifixion, it looked like the powers of this world had won. Religious leaders conspired. Rome approved. Friends fled. The sky went dark.

But what seemed like silence was salvation.

The Cross wasn’t a detour in God’s plan—it was the plan. A brutal symbol of empire became the instrument of redemption. Hidden power changed the world.

And the King no one could see rose to reign forever.

So What About Us?

Maybe you’re facing injustice—or watching others suffer at the hands of broken systems.

Maybe God feels silent. Like He’s holding back, or not showing up.

Esther 1 invites us to hold on. To look past appearances. To place our hope not in earthly thrones, but in the one throne that never shakes.

The power you can see is often fragile. The King you can’t see is always faithful.

So trust Him in the silence. Serve others when you could dominate. Speak truth with grace. And build your life on a kingdom that won’t crumble.

Because the King is still on the throne.

And He’s not done writing your story.

I preached the sermon this is based on at Pathway Church on Sunday, May 25, 2025. You can watch it on our YouTube Channel.

Comments

Post a Comment

All comments are moderated. I welcome respectful disagreement with my posts. Such discussions can cause me to consider perspectives I hadn't examined before. However, I also reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason. Why? Simple enough, this is MY blog, with MY thoughts, and I want to have a civil conversation that is, at all times, God-honoring in nature.

Popular posts from this blog

Leadership Development in Local Church Revitalization: A Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Further Research

-
by Bart L. Denny This article identifies a gap in the existing literature concerning leadership development in the context of local church revitalization. The article further suggests how existing leadership and leadership development theories could be applied to church revitalization and proposes further investigation and research areas. Observers and practitioners in the field of church revitalization unequivocally make the case that for a local church to reverse its decline, the pastor must develop a new generation of leaders (Clifton, 2016; Davis, 2017; Henard, 2021; Rainer, 2020; Stetzer & Dodson, 2021). The extant literature links the decline of churches to a lack of leadership and identifies renewed leadership as a vital component of church revitalization. However, little has been written, theoretically or practically, about the process of leadership development as it applies to local church revitalization. Moreover, little empirical verification supports church revitalizat...
Read more

But some doubted...

-
Image
by Bart Denny “The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.” —Matthew 28:16–17 (CSB) I try to be faithful to Scripture when I write or preach. I want to draw out lessons and apply them to daily life without saying more than the text itself says. My goal is to dig deep into God’s Word and share what I find—without putting words in God’s mouth. But I can’t help wondering—have you ever heard someone really focus on that last phrase in Matthew 28:17? “But some doubted.” In the very presence of the risen Christ—after seeing Him crucified, buried, and now alive—the disciples worshiped. And yet… some doubted. That moment has always fascinated me. We often say, “seeing is believing.” But here were disciples looking at Jesus with their own eyes, and still, something inside them wavered. Was it too good to be true? Could it really be Him? After everything they’d seen—the horror of the cross, the...
Read more

Faithfulness Over Fruitfulness: Rethinking Ministry Success

-
Image
by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M. I’ve often heard it said—sometimes harped on—that Christian ministry is about more than faithfulness; it’s about fruitfulness. But I’m not so sure. At least, not in the way it’s often meant. Yes, there are times when ministries remain barren despite having every resource to yield a bountiful harvest. But that kind of fruitlessness is often the result of unfaithfulness—not a lack of results, but a failure to labor faithfully, wisely, and prayerfully. What Is Faithfulness, Really? Every Christian is called to ministry. But I write here especially to those in ministry leadership. For us, faithfulness includes the courage to honestly assess our work, let go of ineffective strategies, and adopt biblically informed, context-appropriate approaches. It means seeking mentorship, inviting accountability, and doing the hard work of loving people, preaching truth, and building community. That’s faithfulness. We shouldn’t expect kingdom growth if we hav...
Read more