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Writer's pictureclay werner

Where Pride Begins

You won’t find any major news networks that cover him, history documentaries that are too concerned with him, or even many evangelical books that mention him. However, the insights of Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) are uniquely helpful for our current cultural moment. He was so influential in the history of the church that Martin Luther affectionately called him ‘Father Bernard’ and claimed that he was “one of the greatest doctors of the church.” Behind the early church father, St. Augustine, Bernard is the second most quoted scholar in Calvin’s Institutes. Not only did he write affectionately about the extravagance of God’s love, but he also wrote skillfully about the deadly heights of pride in our hearts. This is something everyone who is enduring the chaos of 2020 would do well to hear.

Bernard wrote his treatise, On the Steps of Pride and Humility, in 1120 during what some have called ‘The Dark Ages.’ It often reads, though, like a uniquely contemporary and relevant piece written by a psychologist about the near universal tendency towards narcissism which is powerfully yet unconsciously lurking in every heart. He uses the image of a ladder with 12 rungs of pride, which he then breaks down into three groups: the first six rungs deal with our contempt for the peers who surround us, the next four rungs concern the growing dislike for those who possess any measure of authority over us, and the final two are the most hardened forms of arrogance towards God himself. This brief series will evaluate each step on the rung.

Interestingly, Bernard states that the first rung on the ladder- curiosity- is not a sin, but is the beginning path to it. Whether we know it or not, we will give someone or something the full devotion of our attention which Bernard calls our focus. The purpose of this focus- the devotion of our attention- is twofold. First, we are to give ourselves to knowing, loving, and worshiping God, humbly receiving needed mercy from him. Second, we are to give ourselves to knowing, loving, and serving others, humbly showing needed mercy to them. Both of these flow from a foundation of increasingly accurate knowledge of who we are, what our condition is, and what we were made for.

In light of these things, curiosity is simply- though devastatingly- the drift or loss of our focus. When curiosity begins to take root in the heart, it begins to wonder and consider people and things that “are not its proper concern.” If humility is rooted in giving attention and focus to our heart’s need to receive mercy from God and show mercy to others, curiosity is rooted initially in simply spending too much time noticing others. This noticing is not to get to know or serve them, but eventually (in step two) to compare oneself with them. “If you, my man, would attend more diligently to yourself, I would be surprised if you found time to ponder anyone else.” Consider that last quote in our age of social media and 24-hour news cycles where we regularly have an updated menu as to who to feel self-righteously outraged about. “He used to watch over his own conduct,” Bernard says, “now all of his watchfulness is for others.”

A faithful reading of a treatise like this demands self-reflection. Is the devotion of my attention focused on worshiping God and serving others? Is this focus driven by a knowledge of how desperately I need grace and how radically I’ve been shown grace? Have I lost my focus on these things or have I noticed it drifting to things that are not my concern?

Perhaps a brief story will show the importance of this first step. In 1967, the Silver Bridge, which connected West Virginia and Ohio, collapsed and became one of the deadliest bridge failures in US history. During the only inspection of its entire existence, state inspectors noticed a 1/8 inch wide crack in the metal and passed over it, considering it of little importance. That “little” crack would eventually bring the entire bridge down.

This first step of inspecting our hearts for ‘curiosity’ is crucial. If you notice a little crack here, a little drift of your focus, attend to it with the utmost importance, asking the Spirit to reorient your heart in total devotion to delighting your heart in God, and giving yourself sacrificially to serve others around you.

Next week, we’ll take a look at step two- comparison.

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