Given our contemporary ideas about independence, I doubt any of us would enjoy Lady Catherine’s micromanagement of our lives. Hence I find it rather interesting that there is no end to the books, talks, and blog posts in which Christians feel quite free to give authoritative advice to fellow believers on matters of Christian liberty. I have no problem with people exercising freedom of speech to speak their minds and publish their opinions. However, I do have a problem when there is little room for disagreement.

When the ladies returned to the drawing-room, there was little to be done but to hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did without any intermission till coffee came in, delivering her opinion on every subject in so decisive a manner as proved that she was not used to have her judgment controverted. She inquired into Charlotte’s domestic concerns familiarly and minutely, and gave her a great deal of advice as to the management of them all; told her how everything ought to be regulated in so small a family as her’s, and instructed her as to the care of her cows and her poultry. Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great Lady’s attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others.¹

Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation that was passing in the room during these visits. She examined into their employments, looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement of the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it only for the sake of finding out that Mrs. Collins’s joints of meat were too large for her family.²

Given our contemporary ideas about independence, I doubt any of us would enjoy Lady Catherine’s micromanagement of our lives. Hence I find it rather interesting that there is no end to the books, talks, and blog posts in which Christians feel quite free to give authoritative advice to fellow believers on matters of Christian liberty. I have no problem with people exercising freedom of speech to speak their minds and publish their opinions. However, I do have a problem when there is little room for disagreement. To which I would politely but firmly ask, “Who ordained you Lady Catherine over me?”³

Take, for example, the issue of employment. There are very strong and opposing views on whether women should work outside the home or not and even which jobs are appropriate. But unlike Lady Catherine with Charlotte Collins, outside “experts” aren’t privy to my larder or my livestock. They do not know the balance of my bank account or the financial needs of my family. Thus I would respectfully argue that they aren’t in any position to tell me whether I may work or not. A lack of knowledge about the economic health and job market of my community would also disqualify them from determining where I am permitted to work.

Even if the “experts” are right, and I am ultimately wrong, should I defer based on their credentials? Is the solution to just follow implicitly? No. The effort to find the truth and its application is invaluable. Blind agreement may save time and circumvent the struggle, but it would be the easy way out.⁴ I would miss many valuable lessons that would help me grow as a Christian – searching the scriptures, learning to think wisely, and then making decisions based on that wisdom. Namely, being a Berean.  So forgive me if I am not always compliant with the “experts”, whoever they may be. I would rather strive to be a Berean than for uniformity of behavior.

Lady Catherine is a great character but probably not the best role model when opinions differ. Discussions over opposing views will be much more profitable if her ladyship stays confined to the pages of the book where she belongs.

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Barnes and Noble Books, 2001, pg. 121.
2. Ibid. pg. 125.
3. This question and the post title is a play on Carl Trueman’s post, Who Ordained You a Minister Over Me? – a post worth reading.
4. Thanks to T.J. Logsdon for bringing up the importance of wrestling to find the truth and not cutting that process short during a small group discussion on Galatians.

Persis Lorenti is an ordinary Christian. You can find her at Tried With Fire and Out of the Ordinary. This article appeared at her blog and is used with permission.