Does Power Always Corrupt? Reflections on the Epstein Files

Seven lessons for Christian leaders in the use of power

Feb 06, 2026

Rarely does a single news story dominate the headlines to such a degree as the ongoing revelations from the Epstein files. As I write this post, the top three most read news stories on the BBC website relate to different aspects of the story: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moving out of Royal Lodge,[i] Melinda French Gates commenting on her ex-husband,[ii] and the ‘scandal’ concerning Peter Mandelson.[iii] Royalty, politicians and billionaire businessmen. The rich, famous and powerful are in the spotlight.

Appearing in the files relating to Epstein released by the US government does not imply wrongdoing, but the files do show just how connected many people with wealth and position were, and, presumably, still are. Epstein was able to get close to important people and many important people wanted to be close to him too. We cannot know how much they knew or suspected about the sordid sexual crimes he was guilty of.

As I have reflected on these stories, I have been thinking about how power works and what that means for Christian leadership. In this post I want to propose seven principles for Christian leaders. First, however, we need to set the issue in a historical and biblical framework.

“Power tends to corrupt”

British historian and politician, Lord Acton (1834-1902), famously said:[iv]

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.

This may seem like a rather pessimistic assessment of human nature, but it certainly seems apt in the present moment.

Acton wrote these words to Anglican bishop Mandell Creighton as part of a correspondence about historical method – specifically the standards by which the medieval papacy should be judged for its sponsorship of religious persecution and the Inquisition. Acton believed everyone’s actions should be judged by the same moral standard and those who hold power should be judged more strictly, not given excuses based on institutional or doctrinal reasons or contextual factors.

Three major temptations - money, sex and …

In Christian history, three major temptations for leaders have been acknowledged: money, sex and power. The monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience – known as the ‘evangelical counsels’ – are attempts to curtail these impulses.[v] The same three areas are identified in the New Testament requirements for overseers.[vi] They must be self-controlled in relation to money (“not a lover of money”), sex (“the husband of one wife”), and power (“not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome”). When Christian leaders are disqualified, it is always directly or indirectly due to failings in one or more of these three areas.

Failings in regard to sex and money are relatively easy to define. Adultery and embezzlement, for example, either happened or did not. It is also relatively easy to develop policies to guide behaviour in these areas – for example around the circumstances in which leaders might be alone with a person they are not married to but may feel sexual attraction to or how gifts and money are handled. But power is trickier. It is not always so clear when power is misused or abused.

power can be misused in subtle ways such as exclusion, avoidance, blacklisting, coercion and gaslighting

It is demonstrably true that some Christian leaders have misused power to harm others. Acton described religious persecution as the ultimate sign of the abuse of power. But power can be misused in subtle ways such as exclusion, avoidance, blacklisting, coercion and gaslighting. And when a person in power does these things and another person is harmed as a result – either emotionally or reputationally – that is abuse. Perpetrators of abuse are not confined to medieval popes - they are revealed in internet headlines periodically.

Power in Scripture

Scripture gives us both warnings and examples that illuminate how power operates in the lives of God’s people. Acton’s claim that power tends to corrupt finds a great deal of corroboration in history and in contemporary news stories. It also finds support in Scripture. Moses was a great leader, but he was excluded from the promised land because he misused power. Through him, God warned Israel of the ways in which power could corrupt the kings they may later choose to have (Deuteronomy 17:14-17).

Israel’s first king, Saul, misused power both by transgressing the limits of his authority and by failing to obey God fully, resulting in his removal. His replacement, David, was a man of exemplary faith and integrity before he became king but, after he took power, he made some horrific mistakes and fell into terrible sin. His poem of repentance – Psalm 51 – reveals that the way back from his failure included acknowledging his weakness. Wondrously, he discovered that God “will not despise” a “broken and contrite heart” (verse 17).

The failings of many of David’s descendants, including his son Solomon – who became the epitome of everything Deuteronomy 17 warned against – also testify to the corrupting potential of power. Indeed, only one descendant of David was able to handle power without any corruption – the Lord Jesus Christ. He used His power selflessly and sacrificially, not to dominate but to serve. He shows us not only that uncorrupted power is possible, but what it looks like in practice.

the Lord Jesus Christ […] used His power selflessly and sacrificially, not to dominate but to serve. He shows us not only that uncorrupted power is possible, but what it looks like in practice.

A full exploration of the dynamics of power in Christian leadership is not possible within a post like this, but some headline principles may be helpful. It is also a subject I hope to explore more fully in future, especially in relation to a set of Christian Leadership Integrity Commitments I am working on. For now, let me sketch the contours of what we need.

First, acknowledge your power.

Power is not bad in itself. It is the misuse of power that is the problem. Put simply, power is the ability to do things. Leadership entails power because leaders can do things others cannot. Many leaders resist acknowledging their power because they associate power with pride or abuse, but unacknowledged power is the most dangerous kind. If a leader does not recognise the power she holds, she will almost inevitably misuse it.

Many leaders resist acknowledging their power because they associate power with pride or abuse, but unacknowledged power is the most dangerous kind.

When considering what power we have, we must think of two aspects:

Hard power is the ability to force, command or require someone else to do something.
Soft power is the ability to influence someone to do something without forcing, commanding or requiring it.

Second, only use your power legitimately.

If power is the ability to do something, authority is the right to do it. We may have the power to do something but not the right and we may have the right to do something without having the power to do it. It is clear that power is misused when it is used for self-promotion or self-protection at the expense of others. Sadly, when Christian leaders feel threatened or envious, they can fall into the temptation of using hard power to block or dismiss people or soft power to control narratives and taint people’s reputations. But power can also be used illegitimately when it is used selflessly for the sake of a mission or even for the sake of others.

when Christian leaders feel threatened or envious, they can fall into the temptation of using hard power to block or dismiss people or soft power to control narratives and taint people’s reputations.

Good intentions do not justify the misuse of power. Even well‑meant overreach can damage trust and distort relationships. Power is only used legitimately when it is within the proper limits of one’s authority. In a Christian setting, authority can come from one of two places:

From above – authority granted by God.
From among – authority granted by a person, a group or an institution.

Authority from above is absolute for the Christian. God is to be obeyed in all things. But authority from among must be subject to the authority from above. So, one of the key questions in Christian leadership is how we recognise the authority of God. It is our conviction in Christianity in Society that the authority of God is expressed in the Scriptures – the written word of God.

All human authorities must, therefore, be subject to the Bible and tested against it. When the Bible clearly teaches something, the Christian leader can do as the apostle Paul told Titus: “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:15). When Scripture does not command or teach something clearly, then a Christian leader does not have authority to command it or insist upon it. The Christian leader is called to be “a good servant of Christ”, which means a disciplined approach to presenting only God’s word to people and to godliness in one’s personal life (1 Timothy 4:5-8).

When Scripture does not command or teach something clearly, then a Christian leader does not have authority to command it or insist upon it.

Third, distinguish your words from God’s.

If we accept the principle that Scripture speaks with divine authority, we need to take measures to help people distinguish between God’s authority (from above) in the Scriptures, which must be believed and obeyed, and any authority we have from among a group or institution, which may be helpful but is never absolute. In practice in Christian settings, leaders can often claim authority from God for their decisions that are not explicit in Scripture.

God’s authority (from above) in the Scriptures […] must be believed and obeyed […] authority we have from among a group or institution […] may be helpful but is never absolute.

This can happen in at least four ways:

Positional– pulling rank or implying that our position is divinely sanctioned and, therefore, our word is law.
Prophetic– claiming a word from the Lord on the issue.
Interpretive– presenting an interpretation of Scripture as if it is clear and indisputable when it is not.
Charismatic– force of personality and charm.

When any of these are used to override a person’s conscience or ability to say no, it is a misuse of power. Christian leaders must be aware of these four sources of perceived divine authority in their words and decisions and must take measures to ensure they do not misuse them, for example:

Clarifying the limits of authority a position gives by seeking a clear job description and policies that protect people’s rights to dissent, to raise complaints and grievances and to have them investigated fairly and impartially.
Ensuring that any claimed prophecy is shared tentatively – “I think the Lord might be saying …” rather than “The Lord has told me …” – and is able to be tested and weighed by others to determine if it is from the Lord and, if so, how it is to be applied in this situation.
Distinguishing between what is plainly taught in Scripture and agreed across all who accept the Bible as their supreme authority and theological perspectives on which sincere Christians under the authority of Scripture reach different conclusions. Also distinguishing between what Scripture commands or forbids and the application of those commands to specific situations where they could be applied differently.
Moderating our tone and expressiveness to limit the force with which our personality lands on others. Self-control will mean reining in our natural charisma for the sake of others. If we are just as passionate about our own opinions as we are about the word of God, we will confuse lines of authority.

Scripture does call on Christians to submit to those who lead them and to obey them (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5). But this submission cannot be enforced and the passages that speak of it expect it only to leaders who set a good example and show genuine selfless care for people.

Fourth, respect conscience.

Even when we are sharing God’s truth from the Scriptures, we cannot and must not force people to accept or obey it. Scripture expects teachers and leaders to respect the consciences of those they lead and teach. We commend the truth to people’s consciences (2 Corinthians 4:2). We do not want people to act in a way that defiles their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7). We do want people to be convinced in their own minds that what they are doing is right and pleasing to God (Romans 14:5).

Scripture expects teachers and leaders to respect the consciences of those they lead and teach.

This principle should guide how we relate to others. Even if it is clear to us from Scripture what is right for another person, we do not want them to do it because we say so but because they realise the Lord desires it. Christian leaders are expressly forbidden to lord it over others, meaning to dictate to them and operate through command and control.[vii] The pattern of Christian ministry is expressed by the apostle Paul: “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith” (2 Corinthians 1:24).

Fifth, do not avoid truth when it may be costly.

Whilst our aim is to help people know and obey God’s word from their own consciences, we must also recognise that leaders have a responsibility to oversee the flock and that includes protecting it from false teaching, unacknowledged sin, and divisive behaviours. Church discipline requires leaders to deal with truth, and that means there must be a point when a person can be excluded from active fellowship when they do not agree with that decision.

In such situations, we must be careful that our action is in line with the will of the Lord as taught in Scripture, but we must have the courage to act. The apostle Paul talks about his own experience of needing such strength from Christ in 2 Corinthians 13:1-4. The key principle here is that any disciplinary action must be enacted through biblical principles and as the end of a process of establishing truth through two or three witnesses and giving opportunity for restoration on the basis of repentance.

any disciplinary action must be enacted through biblical principles and as the end of a process of establishing truth through two or three witnesses and giving opportunity for restoration on the basis of repentance.

Sixth, seek feedback and accountability.

We all have blind spots, and we will all get things wrong. We may not realise how our tone or demeanour impacts others. We may distort the truth without realising it. This is why every Christian leader needs both feedback and accountability.

Feedback comes from those who witness or receive the person’s leadership and ministry. Leaders must receive it non-defensively, reflect on it to decide what is fair, and act on what is true.

Accountability comes from those who can ask the leader tough questions about his motives, attitudes, actions and words. It can be formal – from people with authority over the leader – or informal – from people the leader has asked to exercise it. Leaders must seek accountability and commit to respond honestly to those who hold them accountable and to taking action in response to their guidance or correction.

Just as it is disastrous when a leader will not receive feedback, it is unloving to withhold feedback from a leader that could help the leader to grow.

Importantly, the responsibility for truth in feedback and accountability rests not only with the leader but also with others. Just as it is disastrous when a leader will not receive feedback, it is unloving to withhold feedback from a leader that could help the leader to grow. Gossiping about the leader is unacceptable. Avoiding the leader is also wrong unless there is a genuine pattern of bullying or threat from the leader. If a leader invites feedback and accountability, we should give it lovingly. This is especially important for those who oversee leaders. Honest appraisals are crucial for their development.

Seventh, leaders must be cared for.

This final suggestion is a necessary counterpoint to all I have said about leaders’ responsibility to use power carefully. There is a danger that power could be used unfairly against a leader and leaders can easily slip into self-protective use of power if the context in which they lead causes them to be chronically insecure or discouraged. There is never an excuse for use of power to abuse others, but use of power to protect oneself without harming others can be an understandable, even if unhelpful, response to perceived threat. This means that churches and Christian organisations must consider how to care well for their leaders.

There is a danger that power could be used unfairly against a leader and leaders can easily slip into self-protective use of power if the context in which they lead causes them to be chronically insecure or discouraged.

Caring well includes ensuring that leaders are given “double honour” [viii] – that they have work conditions including remuneration, leave and rhythms of rest that go beyond bare minimums and enable them to be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy. It also means that they should be protected from vexatious and spurious attacks by processes that establish truth. Scripture requires that accusations against leaders should be dealt with fairly – established by two or three witnesses without prejudging or partiality – but also that their sins should be dealt with openly – through a transparent, public process.[ix] Just as leaders must be fair to others, they must be treated fairly when concerns arise about potential misconduct.

Conclusion

Misuse of power, position and privilege is a real problem in a fallen world. It is also real in the Church of Christ, where it is utterly inconsistent with the character and call of the Lord of the Church. Christian leaders must take seriously the issue of power and commit to using whatever power has been entrusted to them legitimately in the service of those they lead for the sake of Christ.

the Lord Jesus shows that power need not corrupt, and by His grace and the power of His Spirit, we can follow His way.

Lord Acton is often misquoted as saying, “Power corrupts.” What he actually said is that “Power tends to corrupt.” The distinction is vital. If power always corrupted, there would be no hope for a better way, because power is unavoidable. But the Lord Jesus shows that power need not corrupt, and by His grace and the power of His Spirit, we can follow His way. There is real hope for Christian leaders to exercise power with integrity for God’s glory. My prayer is that the principles in this post might help towards that end.

Further help

Paul Coulter, Executive Director of Christianity in Society and author of this blog provides consultancy services to Christian leaders including advice, mentoring and research. If you would value help to understand how power operates in your church or Christian organisation, how you can use power without being corrupted, or how to establish better standards for healthy leadership, please contact him by emailing paul@christianityinsociety.org. For more information check out his personal website.