What comes to mind when you hear the word authority? Broadly speaking, Western culture seems more skeptical, even more hostile to the idea of authority than ever before. And yet as Christians, we understand that different kinds of human authority were given to us by God and are intended for our good. And yet we also see all around us the incredible harm caused by the abuse of authority. In the world, but sadly in our churches and our homes as well. What does it look like to hold these two realities together in a way that honors God's plan, but also acknowledges the real pain and hurt that we see around us? My guest today is Jonathan Lehman, and his goal is to do just that. He calls on parents, husbands, pastors, managers, and anyone else with some kind of authority over someone else to think carefully about how they are using that authority, encouraging them to embrace a posture of humility and repentance as we seek to use our God-given authority to build others up. Jonathan serves as editorial director for Nine Marks and co-hosts of the Pastors Talk podcast. His newest book is called Authority, How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities and Promotes Human Flourishing from Crossway. Let's get started. Well Jonathan, thanks for joining me again on the Crossway podcast. Thank you, Matt. So you've written this new book on the topic of authority, not just spiritual authority in the church, not just parental authority at home, but on the issue of authority more generally, whether that's at church or in the home or at work or at school.