The call to humility is one of the hallmarks of Paul's letter to the Philippians. But the counter-intuitive nature of that call is often lost on modern readers. Humility was no virtue in the world of the Roman Empire. The very notion of "lowliness" would have been off-putting to most. How then does the letter to the Philippians function to mitigate the natural bias of the recipients against humility? How does the apostle portray humility so as to make it attractive to Romans who would be otherwise resistant to the concept? And what are the pastoral implications for today? Those are the questions taken up by an article I published in the most recent issue of the Center for Pastor Theologians Journal. The article is titled: "Virtue Formation and the Function of Humility in Philippians: A Social Identity Approach" and is available to read for free on the CPT website. Here's the abstract.
Matt O’Reilly takes us to Philippi to reflect on the dynamics of humility formation in followers of Jesus. O’Reilly’s comments are in dialogue with the social science category Social Identity Theory, which locates human identity in our relation to social groups. O’Reilly utilizes this theory as a means for articulating how pastors are called to shepherd the social identity of congregations, and in particular how to embed humility as a distinct feature of the social identity of the church. He concludes with a vital exhortation to Pastor Theologians to be theological shepherds of the church in the way we lead.
If the language of "social identity" is new to you, it's a social psychological theory that focuses on the way our membership in various groups (e.g., family, religious, professional, recreational) shapes our self-concept. It's a valuable interpretive tool for reading the New Testament, and I've also found it tremendously helpful in pastoral settings.
Dr. Matt O’Reilly (Ph.D., Gloucestershire) is Lead Pastor of Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama, Director of Research at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. A two-time recipient of the John Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement, he is the author of multiple books including Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification, Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice, The Letters to the Thessalonians, and Bless the Nations: A Devotional for Short-Term Missions. Follow @mporeilly on X and @mattoreillyauthor on Instagram.
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