Hard Power and Soft Power

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28

Dear Friends,

As I am writing this, we are a couple of days into the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Like many of you, I have been mourning the devastation and loss of life that has been happening with the almost ceaseless bombing that has been happening in this war. Of course, I am also aware of the economic impact that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has caused. As I ponder these events as a person of faith and as a trained theologian, my thoughts go to the dynamics of hard power and soft power.

Hard power is the kind of power and force which is most at play during armed conflict. It is the use of weapons and other technologies that seek to injure or destroy an adversary. Bullets, bombs, fighter jets, knives, rocks, and armies are all examples of instruments of hard power. The list is much longer, though. It includes anything that can be used to force, coerce, or threaten an adversary to do or not do something. Bottom line, it is anything that uses fear as a means of attempting to control others. The fear can range from losing one’s life to losing one’s money to losing one’s good reputation. We have all been recipients of the use of hard power and, probably, have all used hard power ourselves on others. Anytime we try to force, coerce or threaten someone else, we are resorting to the basic dynamic of inducing fear to motivate people to do or not do what we want them to do.

Soft power is very different. Soft power trusts in the ability of caring, healthy, life-giving relationships to bring about behaviour that is conducive to better life for all. At the level of nations, it usually has names like foreign aid, economic assistance, disaster relief, loan forgiveness, or developmental aid. Bottom line, it is about listening to and discerning the needs of others and taking steps to meet those needs.

Why do people choose to use hard power or soft power? People choose hard power because it works. Fear is a very effective strategy for controlling others… at least in the short term. I say, “In the short term…” because the use of force, coercion, violence and fear creates a lot of injury, resentment, hatred, vengeance and, in general, ill will. Though someone may be “defeated,” what’s left is not a healthy relationship. Soft power, on the other hand, has the goal of improving life for the other. When used with integrity and sincerity, the outcomes tend toward more trust, better relationship, and improved life for all.

The challenge with all of our interactions with others is that we are dealing with humans. As such, we tend to not have pure motives. It is easy to believe the worst about our “enemies.” People often feel that it is in their own interest to take advantage of situations. In this sense, it comes down to whether we trust that if we invest in developing healthier relationships that this will improve our lives.

The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection invites us to trust in the power of love. Jesus chose not to use hard power to keep himself alive but trusted that by his obedience and sacrifice, life might abound. To trust in love… to trust in service… to trust in kindness… are acts of faith. May you trust in the resurrecting power of God. May you trust that love wins.

Peace,

Pastor Phil