Nobody likes a tyrant. I don’t imagine anyone ever did even
when, as is so often claimed today, tyranny was the defining feature of
patriarchal leadership in the secular world, in church government, and even
sometimes within families. At least this is what we are led to believe.
I have no doubt a significant number of the horror stories
about the abusive leadership of times past are perfectly true, and should serve
us well as cautionary tales. But I very much doubt all of them are.