JOURNAL ARTICLE

"God's Most Stubborn Enemy:" Jonathan Edwards on Spiritual Pride and the Hope of a Humble Faith.

  • Published In: Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 2024, v. 17, n. 2. P. 416 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Setran, David P. 3 of 3

Abstract

This article focuses on Jonathan Edwards's analysis of spiritual pride, a subtle and pervasive vice threatening Christian spiritual formation, particularly during the First Great Awakening. Edwards identified spiritual pride as a chief obstacle to genuine spiritual growth, manifesting as an inflated self-regard in relation to God and others, often disguised even as false humility. He proposed that overcoming spiritual pride requires cultivating a new perspective of "comparative meanness"—recognizing one's natural and moral smallness before God's greatness—and adopting the dual postures of "self-examination" and "glorying" in God's excellence. Edwards’s framework offers a theological and practical approach for Christians to pursue spiritual progress while maintaining humility, guarding against the distortions pride introduces into personal faith and communal religious life.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care. 2024/11, Vol. 17, Issue 2, p416
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:1939-7909
  • DOI:10.1177/19397909241247146
  • Accession Number:180278551
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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