Saturday, September 4, 2010

Just a quip

The exercise of piety does not make one a pietist; the disdain for the neighbor's lack of piety does.

Likewise, the doing of good works does not make one works righteous, assuming that you have more than your neighbor does.

3 comments:

Mike Baker said...

Doesn't faith in your piety also make you a pietist?

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

I suppose - but can one really have faith in one's own piety without disdain for the neighbor?

Mike Baker said...

That might be a chicken/egg arguement. I'm not sure you can ever seperate the two.

Does the pietist disdain his neighbor's piety and come to love his own? Or Does the pietist's love for his own piety bring him to disdain his neighbor.

In either case, good works are for the neighbor. God does not need them.