Though completely unbiblical, the popular position today in relation to this issue (the authority of the pastor) is that he has no authority. The combination of pastor and authority – it is believed, leads only to abuse (“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” – John Dalberg-Acton). As a result, the way the pastor and his message are received is very similar to Barth’s Neo-orthodoxy: what the pastor speaks from the bible does not become the Word of God (i.e. authoritative), until the Holy Spirit makes it so in the heart of the individual.