7 Types of Unsubmissive People

In this morning's sermon I gave a taxonomy of seven different expressions of unsubmissiveness. Wondering what others you might add to the list. I had in mind the dynamics of a church community... but if you are prone to any of these tendencies, they're likely expressed in all kinds of other situations as well.

  1. The Spiritual Teenager - These people don’t know enough to be rebellious; but they’re rebellious anyway. Proverbs calls them "naïve."
  2. The Knucklehead – The kind of person who always learns the hard way. Proverbs calls them fools (Prov. 1:7).
  3. The Contrarian – The person who has to play ‘devil’s advocate’ in every situation.
  4. The Postmodern – Convinced that all authority is about power plays and oppressing/subjugating the weak. Usually end up being an authority unto themselves, which is convenient.
  5. The Patronizer – Common tendency of older people. Dismissive toward younger leaders (really, toward leaders in general); have a pat-on-the-head, "isn’t-it-nice-what-you’re-doing" sort of spirit.
  6. The Exception – Thinks she’s the exception to the rule, therefore she shouldn't have to go through the same processes that others do.
  7. The Mole – unsubmissive in his heart, but doesn’t have the courage to express it. Acts compliant in public but undermines authority in private through gossip, slander, bitterness, and envy. Incredibly destructive to a community.

What additional expressions of unsubmissiveness do you see in your own heart or in others that are worth adding to the list?

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