Here are some indicators of a serious pride problem that has nothing do with concerns over false teaching or Christ-dishonouring unfaithfulness in pastoral ministry:
• Fault-picking in thought or word over the ministries of fellow Evangelicals.
• Resentment over the ‘success’ in ministry of fellow Evangelicals.
• A sense that one could do better than fellow Evangelicals in their ministries, reflected in a feeling of frustrated ambition.
• A sense that one's own ministry is not properly appreciated by fellow Evangelicals.
• Inner gloating over set-backs in ministry for fellow Evangelicals.
• Exaggerating numerical growth in one's own church in front of fellow Evangelicals.
• Boasting about the 'success' of ministry initiatives in the context of prayer requests or sharing the 'problems' of success (or even in neither of those contexts - just boasting).
The only cure is to realise one’s own spiritual and moral bankruptcy before God and to cast oneself on the grace and mercy of God at the foot of the Cross of Christ. A pride problem in the Corinthian church is the context for Paul's vital corrective:
And I, when I came among you, brothers, did not come proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling (1 Corinthians 2v1-3 - ESV).
That corrective of the Cross is reflected in Isaac Watts' classic hymn:
When I survey the wondrous Cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Well said Julian! It gets even worse when we start "counting converts". If ever there was an Evangelical's 'Gospel of Works' this is it.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Terry
Julian, let me add a few more that were notably absent from your original list.
ReplyDelete* Believing that your particular branch of evangelicalism is correct and all others are errored to some extent.
* Viewing non-evangelicals as non-christians.
* Believing that your particular interpretation of the Bible (or part thereof) is the only true one.
* Treating certain church traditions (such as form of service, type of music, style of preaching, approach to evangelism) as being on the same level as scripture itself.
* Refusing to consider the views of those with whom you disagree.
* Disparaging those with other theological convictions.
* Denial of the authority of scripture by not letting it speak into and change your theology.
These are things that many evangelicals are guilty of but seldom admit to...
Another one, more in keeping with the original list:
ReplyDelete* Boasting about the faith and spirituality of the members of one's own church in front of fellow evangelicals.
I take your point that we Reformed Evangelicals can be guilty of a narrow-minded arrogance at times, though I believe that deficiency is over-stated by our enemies. Three things need to be said in response to your comments Sir:
ReplyDelete1). The New Testament commands Christians to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (see Jude v3). That appeal does not spring from a desire to promote pride but rather to uphold the gospel of salvation against the false teaching that can wreck people's eternal destinies.
2). Anglican clergy promise to uphold the truth of the gospel against error. The same motivation as above applies to the Ordinal.
3). You have pointed out deficiencies you perceive in Reformed Evangelicals. Are you motivated by pride in so doing?
Good observations, Julian, thank you.
ReplyDeleteIan - you missed the point of what Julian was saying. It was to do with pride in 'results' rather than focusing on humble obedience.