Pride continues to be a prevalent vice among those who serve as professional ministers and Christian leaders. English Puritan Richard Baxter (1615–1691) was attentive to this concern and wrote a great deal on ministerial pride in his various publications. He explored the ways in which pride infected ministers both through an elevated personal assessment and through a heightened desire for human praise. This article examines his diagnosis of the diverse manifestations of ministerial pride and looks carefully at his recommendations for addressing its corrosive influence, providing insights and suggestions for contemporary Christian ministers.
BaxterR. (1825). A Christian directory: Or, a body of practical divinity and cases of conscience (Vol. 1–5). London: James Duncan, Paternoster Row. (Original work published 1673).
2.
BaxterR. (1830). The practical works of the Rev. Richard Baxter (Vols. 1–23), edited by OrmeW.London, UK: James Duncan, Paternoster Row.
3.
BaxterR. (1974). The reformed pastor.Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust. (Original work published 1656).
4.
BaxterR. (2001). The saints' everlasting rest.Scotland, UK: Christian Focus Publications. (Original work published 1649).
5.
CooperT. (2011). John Owen, Richard Baxter, and the formation of nonconformity.Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
6.
DeYoungR. K. (2014). Vainglory: The forgotten vice.Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
