The book was written in the 1980s and the author was already internationally known at that time for his church and ministry. I’ve read a couple of his books over the years, but one paragraph in the book I am currently reading stopped me in my tracks. His premise is that religion’s purpose is to help people find and restore their hurt pride.

Silly me.  I thought religion’s purpose is to lead us, strengthen us, and bring us to salvation.

The most shocking part of his statement is the cornerstone position of pride. The stated focus is healing hurt pride. Forget the cornerstone; pride is the foundational sin of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each of the other six can be traced back to the self-centered, narcissistic, “I am the center of the world” mentality. Pride is the root of sin and not something to be attended. Our goal should be to constantly fight its influence, not be concerned about when it is hurt.

The human battle with pride began in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis, we learn about Jacob’s famous wrestling match over his pride. He didn’t go to a counselor, read a book or have a group therapy session because his pride was hurt. He wrestled. He lost. Because he lost, he won.

The top prizes for a life well lived are not trophies or job titles, nor wealth, popularity, notoriety – see how all those are pride-based? – or any of the other things modern culture encourages us to seek. Our goal is salvation; pride stands squarely in the way. Fight it, don’t appease it.