This is a self-help book, and my thoughts on those have always boiled down to "meh". All of these types of books are, in essence, collections of trite platitudes vaguely linked to the life of some famous person; this one is no different.
On the other hand, I think it's a bit rich for Paul (and by extension, Keller) to talk about humility and abnegation of the ego. Paul talks as though he was some nameless Buddhist monk or a Daoist hermit, flowing as one with the currents of the natural order and divine will; whereas in reality he was the guy who (arguably) invented modern Christianity single-handedly, backed up by his own authority. Some scholars would go so far as to say that Paul basically made up his religion out of whole cloth, paying lip service to Jesus even as he codified his own weird hangups (sexual and otherwise) into doctrine. A person can do all of that, or he can preach humility -- but he cannot do both while remaining honest.
> 'This is a self-help book, and my thoughts on those have always boiled down to "meh".'
Shot through the heart!! Fortunately* that PARTICULAR spot on my heart has already got some scar tissue over the area... from like the last 5 times that Marshwiggle commented on what a large percentage of books I check out of the library count as "self-help".
> "A person can do all of that, or he can preach humility -- but he cannot do both while remaining honest."
I think the question of whether "humility / abnegation of ego" can co-exist within in an individual whose ways were like Paul's (he could certainly be direct, brash, and insistent that what he advocated was right) ...is interesting! I would say there's some non-obvious stuff to be found there!
(Scholars' theories that say "Paul invented a new religion" are of less interest to me--sounds like that starting point would place me in an obnoxious hole to "argue my way up" out of--and there are PLENTY of things I can find within Paul's own writing that appear either like or unlike my usual vision of humility!)
Sorry, but I think Paul's actions are important, more so than his words. Assuming that the story presented in the New Testament is at least somewhat accurate, Paul was an apostle: a follower of the living God (or an incarnation/avatar thereof, the differences are immaterial). He regularly talked to the Deity in person; he was present for every major sermon and divine proclamation; he witnessed miracles and wonders first-hand. So, what does Paul do as soon as Jesus returns to His celestial abode (from where, I should not have to remind you, He can still observe all of Creation simultaneously) ? That's right, Paul immediately turns around, creates a massive hierarchy with himself at the top, and starts writing all kinds of original content so divergent from Jesus's teachings that people to this date debate its authenticity and/or relevance.
I suppose you could say that Paul was divinely inspired to do all that stuff and/or that it all worked out to the greater good; however, a). this still does not explain why Paul's actions and words are so divergent from Jesus's, and b). these are still not the acts of a humble man. Now, personally I don't think that lack of humility is necessarily a sin (ok, technically I don't believe that *anything* is a sin, but still); however, hubris and hypocrisy are definitely on the naughty list.
Just to drive my point home: compare and contrast the life of Paul with the life of another semi-mythological figure, the Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin. This is the man who single-handedly saved Korea from subjugation by Japan. He is regarded as one one of the most brilliant military minds in history; his contemporary enemies definitely regarded him as such, to the point where eliminating him personally became their only stratagem for winning the war. Admiral Yi led men into battle; reorganized the army and the navy; invented entirely new technologies and tactics; built factories; and destroyed entire enemy fleets with only a few ships of his own.
And yet, by all accounts, Yi only lived to serve. He started his military career by attempting to pass the cavalry exam despite having broken his leg (he completed the test, failed to get a passing grade, but passed on his second try). He accepted his first posting to a remote and humble outpost (where all the commoners like him were destined to end up out of sight, out of mind) with enthusiasm. He reorganized the rabble there into a solid fighting force, crushing the raiders who plagued Korea's borders, yet refused any personal glory for the deed; ridding his country of the menace was reward enough. Meanwhile, Yi spent his free time on personally fulfilling his soldiers' dying wishes.
Once Japan invaded, Yi took charge of the fleet, since there was no one else who could step up (seeing as the government was hopelessly corrupt and dysfunctional at the time). He led his soldiers to victory after victory, up until the point where the Korean government -- fearing a coup -- had him arrested and tortured. Yi accepted the torture without complaint. The government was forced to release him eventually, as Korea came to the brink of total defeat in Yi's absence. Yi was in fact perfectly positioned to effect a coup, and some of his advisors insisted he do so; instead, he threw himself once more into service, pulling off veritable miracles to save his nation. Yi was mortally wounded in the final battle, and his last order was for his lieutenants to wear his distinctive armor and beat the war-drums -- lest the sailors learn of his death and lose heart at this critical juncture. It is said that the Japanese admiral whom Yi had defeated wept even as he surrendered, lamenting his lost chance to meet Yi in person.
Yi kept detailed personal journals, which were filled with practical matters of logistics, strategy, weather patterns, and Yi's detailed analysis of his battles, with an eye toward fixing any mistakes. In fact, it is said that the only recorded criticisms of Yi's performance come from the man himself; even his enemies (be they political or military) could find no flaw in his strategy and tactics. After his death, he became widely regarded as Korea's topmost national hero. In life, however, Yi refused military honors, choosing instead to pass them on to the families of his men.
I'm no soldier, but I think I could follow a man like Yi (be it in war or in peacetime). I don't know if I could follow a man like Paul, no matter how many lectures on humility he wrote in his proclamations.
This is a self-help book, and my thoughts on those have always boiled down to "meh". All of these types of books are, in essence, collections of trite platitudes vaguely linked to the life of some famous person; this one is no different.
On the other hand, I think it's a bit rich for Paul (and by extension, Keller) to talk about humility and abnegation of the ego. Paul talks as though he was some nameless Buddhist monk or a Daoist hermit, flowing as one with the currents of the natural order and divine will; whereas in reality he was the guy who (arguably) invented modern Christianity single-handedly, backed up by his own authority. Some scholars would go so far as to say that Paul basically made up his religion out of whole cloth, paying lip service to Jesus even as he codified his own weird hangups (sexual and otherwise) into doctrine. A person can do all of that, or he can preach humility -- but he cannot do both while remaining honest.
> 'This is a self-help book, and my thoughts on those have always boiled down to "meh".'
Shot through the heart!! Fortunately* that PARTICULAR spot on my heart has already got some scar tissue over the area... from like the last 5 times that Marshwiggle commented on what a large percentage of books I check out of the library count as "self-help".
> "A person can do all of that, or he can preach humility -- but he cannot do both while remaining honest."
I think the question of whether "humility / abnegation of ego" can co-exist within in an individual whose ways were like Paul's (he could certainly be direct, brash, and insistent that what he advocated was right) ...is interesting! I would say there's some non-obvious stuff to be found there!
(Scholars' theories that say "Paul invented a new religion" are of less interest to me--sounds like that starting point would place me in an obnoxious hole to "argue my way up" out of--and there are PLENTY of things I can find within Paul's own writing that appear either like or unlike my usual vision of humility!)
Sorry, but I think Paul's actions are important, more so than his words. Assuming that the story presented in the New Testament is at least somewhat accurate, Paul was an apostle: a follower of the living God (or an incarnation/avatar thereof, the differences are immaterial). He regularly talked to the Deity in person; he was present for every major sermon and divine proclamation; he witnessed miracles and wonders first-hand. So, what does Paul do as soon as Jesus returns to His celestial abode (from where, I should not have to remind you, He can still observe all of Creation simultaneously) ? That's right, Paul immediately turns around, creates a massive hierarchy with himself at the top, and starts writing all kinds of original content so divergent from Jesus's teachings that people to this date debate its authenticity and/or relevance.
I suppose you could say that Paul was divinely inspired to do all that stuff and/or that it all worked out to the greater good; however, a). this still does not explain why Paul's actions and words are so divergent from Jesus's, and b). these are still not the acts of a humble man. Now, personally I don't think that lack of humility is necessarily a sin (ok, technically I don't believe that *anything* is a sin, but still); however, hubris and hypocrisy are definitely on the naughty list.
Just to drive my point home: compare and contrast the life of Paul with the life of another semi-mythological figure, the Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin. This is the man who single-handedly saved Korea from subjugation by Japan. He is regarded as one one of the most brilliant military minds in history; his contemporary enemies definitely regarded him as such, to the point where eliminating him personally became their only stratagem for winning the war. Admiral Yi led men into battle; reorganized the army and the navy; invented entirely new technologies and tactics; built factories; and destroyed entire enemy fleets with only a few ships of his own.
And yet, by all accounts, Yi only lived to serve. He started his military career by attempting to pass the cavalry exam despite having broken his leg (he completed the test, failed to get a passing grade, but passed on his second try). He accepted his first posting to a remote and humble outpost (where all the commoners like him were destined to end up out of sight, out of mind) with enthusiasm. He reorganized the rabble there into a solid fighting force, crushing the raiders who plagued Korea's borders, yet refused any personal glory for the deed; ridding his country of the menace was reward enough. Meanwhile, Yi spent his free time on personally fulfilling his soldiers' dying wishes.
Once Japan invaded, Yi took charge of the fleet, since there was no one else who could step up (seeing as the government was hopelessly corrupt and dysfunctional at the time). He led his soldiers to victory after victory, up until the point where the Korean government -- fearing a coup -- had him arrested and tortured. Yi accepted the torture without complaint. The government was forced to release him eventually, as Korea came to the brink of total defeat in Yi's absence. Yi was in fact perfectly positioned to effect a coup, and some of his advisors insisted he do so; instead, he threw himself once more into service, pulling off veritable miracles to save his nation. Yi was mortally wounded in the final battle, and his last order was for his lieutenants to wear his distinctive armor and beat the war-drums -- lest the sailors learn of his death and lose heart at this critical juncture. It is said that the Japanese admiral whom Yi had defeated wept even as he surrendered, lamenting his lost chance to meet Yi in person.
Yi kept detailed personal journals, which were filled with practical matters of logistics, strategy, weather patterns, and Yi's detailed analysis of his battles, with an eye toward fixing any mistakes. In fact, it is said that the only recorded criticisms of Yi's performance come from the man himself; even his enemies (be they political or military) could find no flaw in his strategy and tactics. After his death, he became widely regarded as Korea's topmost national hero. In life, however, Yi refused military honors, choosing instead to pass them on to the families of his men.
I'm no soldier, but I think I could follow a man like Yi (be it in war or in peacetime). I don't know if I could follow a man like Paul, no matter how many lectures on humility he wrote in his proclamations.