Mansour 1

Philip Mansour
Dr. President Lindsay
Leading for the Common Good
16 April 2014
The Grip of Power
People in power will always have an impact on society and the people around them.
Power can be a blessing because, power is the means by which we bring life, create
possibilities, offer hope and make human flourishing possible (Haugen). Indeed power can be a
curse because, Power corrupts-as weve seen time and time again. People too often abuse their
power (Haugen). In Andy Crouchs Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, both sides of
power are discussed, but Crouch affirms the gift of power and makes the conclusion that power
is essentially positive in the grand scheme of things. However, the arguments that Crouch makes
against power are convincing in that power is so easily corruptible that it causes more harm than
good. The ruling of Saddam Hussein, abusive parenting styles, and C. Wright Mills perspective
on power will prove against Crouchs thesis as power being a gift.
Saddam Husseins was the dictator of Iraq and his actions reflect the dangers when power
is placed in the wrong hands. Hussein brought demise to himself and his country in the way he
played god when he was the political leader of Iraq. He refused to compromise with the
international community and address Iraqs capability of engaging in nuclear or chemical
warfare. According to Crouch, this displays Husseins madness and blindness in the way that
power corrupted him as a person (Crouch 131). Hussein thought that he could solely rule over
Iraq without any accountability. As a result, the US and its allies were inclined to invade Iraq and
rid Iraq of any possible position of nuclear or chemical weapons because of the instability of

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their leader to handle himself with such weapons. Hussein was so gripped by the potential of
increased military power that he allowed the US to carry on with its destructive military
invasion. Husseins mad quest for power made him blind and led to his destruction (Crouch
132). On the other hand, the military power of the US proved to be incredibly destructive as well
in the Iraq War. The US attempted to clear the instability in Iraq through their military prowess.
They played god with the anticipation of restoring order and hope in Iraq. It turns out that the US
military power was just as blind if not more because of the consequences (Crouch 132).
Hundreds of thousands of innocent lives died from both sides because the US played god in an
inaccurate way. Lastly, the economic debt and diminished credibility [of the US] was a
searing demonstration of the blindness of power (Crouch 132).
Furthermore, the power bestowed on parents in raising their children can attest to the
corrupting influence of power. The lives of many children are devastated from an early stage
because of the way new parents handle their young children. They are supposed to use their
power in order to create opportunities for their children and help them flourish to the greatest
extent that they can. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as many children have been
disadvantaged by their parents in the transition to Kindergarten or elementary school (Haskett
and Neupert 272). The transition to school is a normative but potentially stressful period
because it requires adjustment in family routines and change in expectations for a child and
parent behavior (Haskett and Neupert 272). The ability to adapt for the parents is a struggle,
especially because the quality of parenting has generally decreased. When change in the family is
not dealt with in a healthy way because parents are not ready to take on the responsibility, then it
opens a segway for parents to behave abusively towards their children. Essentially, parents are
playing god in their childrens lives and the way they react to a change like this has a significant

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on their children. An abusive reaction is irrational and selfish, rather a parent should utilize their
power to motivate their children and foster a healthy growth in school.
Lastly, Crouch sheds light on Mills perspective of power. Although these two oppose
each other, Mills perspective on power reveals the conflict that arises from people in power.
Crouch references Mills on politics when he says, All politics is a struggle for power; the
ultimate kind of power is violence (Crouch 133). Clearly, power among people is so easily
transformed into something evil. Power alone is not dangerous, but it is the people who wield
that power who are dangerous. They are naturally struggling for power, so it is their natural
inclination to attain as much power as possible. This is the unstable nature of power that has the
tendency to transform into something evil by the work of people in power. People with power
will want to maximize their potential with it, so there can only be negative outcomes based on
the notion that the ultimate form of power is violence. Obviously, violence will hurt people and
society as a whole, but leaders with power will pursue it because it is the ultimate form of power.
Crouchs opinion on Mills statement is that, Violence is force intended to damage, force that
undermines dignity (Crouch 134). Thus, power cannot have a positive effect because of the way
it can be manipulated by people in power for violence.
After careful analysis, it can be concluded that power is more of a grip than a gift to
people and society. It is true that power used by leaders can serve as a catalyst for many helpful
initiatives, but more often than not power will be defiled by those on power and cause all sorts of
conflict. People in power have the tendency to abuse their power because it is easier for them to
abuse their power than to be responsible and manage it effectively. Thus, Andy Crouch cannot be
right to say that god players with power will be able to accomplish more good than pervert the
power given to them and cause damaging harm to people and society.

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Works Cited
Crouch, Andy. Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. Downers Grove: InterVarsity,
2013. Print.
Haskett, Mary, Shevaun Neupert, and Yuko Okado. Factors Associated With 3-Year Stability
and Change in Parenting Behavior of Abusive Parents. Journal of Child & Family
Studies 23.2(2014): 263-274. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Haugen, Gary A. "Andy Crouch." Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. 2014. Web.
13 Apr. 2014.