As usual, you make some good points Tom, and I appreciate your writing. That said, I’m not convinced that any of the problems you described provide justification for redefining a concept that is very clear in scripture (definition of humility given and described in Philippians 2). Adopting the mindset of Christ does not preclude someone from fighting oppression. There are many other terms and concepts that speak to our value and worth to God.
I don’t think I’m re-defining humility. I think I’m recovering an original understanding of humility. And Philippians 2 demonstrates my point — the incarnation and crucifixion were not one-off acts of humility. They were displays of who Christ really is. No, more, they were displays of who God really is. God is humble. God’s being is not threatened by death-itself because God knows God’s being for what it is.
For some people, humility looks like it’s classically defined in patriarchal societies. But for some people, humility looks like asserting their God-given identity as beloved and glorious.
As usual, you make some good points Tom, and I appreciate your writing. That said, I’m not convinced that any of the problems you described provide justification for redefining a concept that is very clear in scripture (definition of humility given and described in Philippians 2). Adopting the mindset of Christ does not preclude someone from fighting oppression. There are many other terms and concepts that speak to our value and worth to God.
I don’t think I’m re-defining humility. I think I’m recovering an original understanding of humility. And Philippians 2 demonstrates my point — the incarnation and crucifixion were not one-off acts of humility. They were displays of who Christ really is. No, more, they were displays of who God really is. God is humble. God’s being is not threatened by death-itself because God knows God’s being for what it is.
For some people, humility looks like it’s classically defined in patriarchal societies. But for some people, humility looks like asserting their God-given identity as beloved and glorious.