Rooted in Mutuality

Growing up in the Midwest, I internalized a superficial embodiment of humility. My shallow understanding was distilled to actions that included refraining from sharing a well-deserved honor with a friend for fear it could be construed as pride, allowing others to speak for me despite my actual feelings about a given matter, and refusing to take the last dessert in an attempt to piously deny indulgence. These misunderstandings were more about restraint, passivity, and denial than humility.

I wager I am not alone. In fact, many of us may fear what Edwards so aptly describes as “humility’s bad reputation,” which can understandably
make us “wary of becoming doormats.” Yet humility doesn’t receive enough spotlight for its role in our Christian formation. It’s time humility receives its due.

In Humility Illuminated, scholar, pastor, and dean of North Park Theological Seminary Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards offers a refreshing perspective that begins with submission to God and has the power to bring about communal healing and justice through mutual empowerment. He rightly diagnoses the state of the Church today in North America. On the one hand, some misunderstand humility as passivity or self-loathing that invites abuse and mistreatment of the vulnerable. On the other, Christians must be honest about how much we have become enthralled by power, competition, and self-promotion. Edwards encourages the reader to embrace the Christ-centered power and healing abilities of humility. He writes, “Humility allows a fresh way of thinking that keeps relational connections at the center, as those connections are based on mutual faith in Christ.” The practice of humility in the Church, therefore, ought to be distinct from the culture around us rather than assimilating to our competitive and individualistic society.

Edwards does far more than provide humble niceties to apply the next time someone offers us a compliment. He defines humility as “a way of life rooted in submission to God and is demonstrated in actions that foster mutuality rather than competition.” With rich biblical exegesis, practical pastoral guidance, and application galore, Edwards invites the reader to reconsider the power of humility in our walk with Jesus.

It is not surprising that Edwards has written such a compelling book on this topic. He himself is a student and practitioner. I had the opportunity to serve under his leadership as he pastored Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On one occasion we co-preached on the Bible’s view of women in ministry, demonstrating biblically why women are called to ministry in all leadership roles of the church. He stated to the congregation that when I am in the pulpit preaching, he submits himself to my teaching, eager and open to how the Spirit will minister to him through me. His remark left me speechless. At the time I was in my mid-20s, just starting out in ministry, and had barely preached a handful of sermons. Edwards had three decades of pastoral and preaching experience, a PhD in New Testament studies, and was the author of multiple books and commentaries. Yet that is the crux of humility—he was committed to mutual empowerment that allows one to remain open to seeing the power of God in each person regardless of status or experience.

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