Christians Completely Fail to Understand and Act in Humility

As a longstanding Christian and a longstanding member of the Christian Church (Protestant), I repeatedly see, without fail, that Christians do not have the slightest understanding of what humility is. Any definition they offer always misses very critical points. Arrogance radiates from every fiber of being in what other Christians dub the "godliest of the godly."

In this article I will be analyzing common Christian definitions of humility to show where they fall short. I will be offering another definition based from Jewish Talmudic teachings because Christian definitions have thus far fallen short. I will also list common examples of Christian social behavior that Christians repeatedly practice thinking that they are exhibiting humility, when in fact they are actually exhibiting the height of arrogance.

Christian Definitions of Humility:

First of all, Christians see humility as experiential. While they may also see humility as a character trait, I certainly see an emphasis on seeing humility as "being humbled." They see the curve balls of life, the crushing experiences of life, as things designed by God to humble us-to make us realize how small and weak we are in relation to Our Maker. While this might be true and useful, a full understanding of humility must embrace humility as a character trait and a moral standpoint.

I have also heard Christians refer to humility as "a direct blow to our pride and so-called self-esteem. It cuts against the grain of what the world strives for." These ideas, as I will show later, are absolutely false.

On November 7, 2005, authors Wayne and Josh Mack published what was dubbed by critics as "The best book on humility that I've seen." The Macks' book, Humility: The Forgotten Virtue, provides very characteristically and commonly understood Christian definitions of humility and shows just how short the Christian definitions of humility fall.