Conflict is the absence of shālôm. The Hebrew word shālôm refers to the overall welfare of the human soul.[1] Shālôm means to be complete, or whole; to be safe; to be in good health; to prosper; to live and die in tranquility. In matters of human community, shālôm refers to friendship and peacemaking. In relationship to God shālôm refers to the salvific covenant between God and humanity.[2] When the apostolic authors of the New Testament spoke of peace they used the word to reflect its usage in the Septuagint, which corresponds to the Hebrew shālôm.[3] Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace” and his disciples are call to be peacemakers.[4] Throughout the New Testament, the apostolic greetings and benedictions speak of the blessing of peace.[5]
Even so, the church is a community in conflict. The church is comprised of male and female, rich and poor, of every tribe and tongue,[6] all of whom are too often motivated by self-interest. The church is a community that lives in the tension between two ages: the present age which is corrupted by conflict and violence; and the age to come in which death, war, mourning, and pain have been overcome by the shālôm of God.[7] Jesus confirmed this tension when he said, “…My peace I give to you…,” but “…in the world you have tribulation.”[8] Paul recognized that all humans are conflicted between good and evil, that is, the flesh verses the spirit. Those who are fleshly are full of “jealously and strife.” The result is schism.[9] Those who are spiritual are charged with the restoration and sanctification of the church.[10]
All conflict in the church is spiritual warfare on some level. Too often, in Pentecostal churches all spiritual conflict is attributed to a single antagonist – the devil. However, spiritual warfare is much more complex than a wrestling match between the devil and a spiritual leader. There are at least five levels of spiritual warfare. First, there is inner conflict, that is, the ongoing struggle of an individual’s conscience to choose obedience over disobedience. This conflict is common to every human. Here lies the root cause of unintentional toxic leaders. Non-toxic leaders may develop toxic tendencies. Most toxic leaders in the church did not begin with malicious or manipulative intentions. But, unresolved internal conflict can cause sinful choices, promote incompetence, or passivity. The Apostle Paul warned that immature or unprepared leaders might “become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”[11]
Second, there is conflict within the church. Conflict within the church may, or may not, begin with malicious intent. But it is always a motivated by self-interest and exacerbated by self-deception. Self-deception is “insistent blindness,” that is, the inability to see beyond one’s “own closed perspective” and deeply resistant to the possibility that “the truth may be otherwise.”[12] Here are the seeds of intentional toxic leadership – destructive behavior and dysfunctional personal qualities – that can transform egocentrism into megalomania. Ron Susek has written that greatest threat in church conflict is human nature, a nature that tends to deify opinions “which results in throwing off moral and spiritual restraints, because their opinions feel right.”[13] Self-deception leads to self-justification, which can lead to self-deification and apostasy.
The third type of spiritual warfare is conflict from outside the church – the world’s systems in opposition to the mission of God. This conflict has its roots in culture, economics, and politics that are threatened by the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”[14] The violent conflict of the world against the kingdom of God is manifest in the crucifixion of Jesus and continues in the persecution of the church.
Paul informs us that behind all human conflicts are the “schemes of the devil” and “the spiritual forces of wickedness.”[15] This is the fourth level of spiritual warfare. The reality of demonic powers does not release humans from culpability or accountability. Satan is not omnipresent, nor is Satan omniscient. The forces of wickedness have limited power and authority. Demons do not share in God’s image. Only humans were created in the image of God and therefore humans are uniquely responsible to God for the consequences of their actions and inactions.
This brings us to the ultimate level of spiritual warfare – conflict with God. Jesus promised that the gates of Hades will not overpower the church.[16] So, how do we explain the demise of churches that have suffered catastrophic toxic leadership? Did the devil do it? Did the toxic leaders do it? Or, maybe God intervened for the sake of God’s mission. When the churches of Asia Minor found themselves in conflict with Christ, Christ threatened to “remove your lampstand,” to “make war,” to cause “great tribulation,” to “come like a thief,” and “spit you out of my mouth.”[17] Each of these churches suffered from, or tolerated, toxic leadership. Christ confronted their sinfulness, called for repentance, and warned of judgment. When a church fails to obediently respond to the voice of the Spirit, then God becomes the church’s greatest antagonist.
