📘 Lexicon Entry: Servant Power

Short Definition
Understanding of power through self-giving service rather than domination, reframing authority as responsibility rather than privilege.
Definition
A theological framework that understands power through self-giving service rather than domination, reframing authority within the cruciform pattern as responsibility rather than privilege. Servant Power emerges from Jesus’s teachings on service and the cross as revelation of divine power, challenging both imperial models of authority and democratic models that reduce power to preference aggregation. This concept directly counters Dominative Christianism by demonstrating divine power that enables rather than dominates, and provides theological foundation for Being With through leadership that empowers rather than controls others.
Category
Theological Alternative
Keywords
power, authority, service, cruciform pattern, kenotic power, servant leadership, vulnerable strength
Citation Guide
Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Servant Power.” *Political Theology Lexicon*. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon. Accessed [date].
Orthodox Alternatives
Divine power seen as self-giving love exercised for others
Authority understood as responsibility rather than privilege
Leadership modeled on Christ’s servanthood rather than worldly dominance
Power exercised through vulnerability and self-emptying
Mutated Position
Divine power conceived as dominance, control, and triumph over enemies
Authority equated with hierarchy and unaccountable control
Leadership understood primarily through command rather than example
Power exercised through coercion and manipulation
Key Characteristics
Reframes power as service rather than domination
Establishes authority through vulnerability rather than force
Empowers others rather than concentrating control
Creates accountability within community rather than isolated authority
Theological Foundations
Cruciform pattern of Christ’s self-emptying
Kenotic understanding of divine power
Trinitarian communion as model for non-hierarchical relationship
Incarnational theology of God’s presence through vulnerability
Biblical Foundation
Jesus washing disciples’ feet as paradigm of servant leadership (John 13:1-17)
Jesus’s teaching that greatness comes through service (Mark 10:43-45)
Christ’s self-emptying to take form of servant (Philippians 2:5-11)
Jesus’s rejection of worldly authority models (Luke 22:25-27)
Contemporary Expression
Leadership models based on empowerment rather than control
Organizational structures that distribute rather than concentrate authority
Ministry approaches that prioritize accompaniment over direction
Political engagement that emphasizes service over acquisition of power
Academic Research
Studies on servant leadership effectiveness in organizational contexts
Theological analysis of power in early Christian communities
Comparative research on alternative authority models in religious communities
Political theological engagement with non-violent resistance movements
Key Authors
Path Navigation
Related Primary Concepts: Interindependence through mutual empowerment
Key Alternatives: Being With, Counter-Imperial
Theological Mutations Addressed: Dominative Christianism, Binary Apocalypticism
Contemporary Movements: Alternative leadership models in religious and secular contexts
Last Updated
May 23, 2025
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*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*
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