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7 Signs the Pharisees Are Running Your Church

pharisee

So do you have a Pharisee running your church?

Interesting question.

How would you know?

And perhaps, more appropriately, how would you know if that Pharisee were you? 

You could argue that the since the religious leaders nailed Jesus to the cross, there’s no way you would have done that.

But seriously, how would you know? If you really read the Bible—I mean really read it—it’s pretty challenging.

I read stories like Matthew’s calling in Matthew 9 and think, I might have been frustrated by Jesus too. When a person hangs out with hookers, criminals and other morally sketchy people, I’d question him as well. Which, of course, would squarely put me in the company of the Pharisees.

Hence my worry.

How do you know the a Pharisee isn’t running your church?

How do you make sure that Pharisee isn’t you?

I’m Not a Legalistic Pharisee…I’m Just Righteous

In many Christian circles, Pharisee is just a bad labelWe throw it at someone we don’t like, we disagree with or generally think should suffer.

But as I pointed out in this piece (The Top 10 Things Pharisees Say Today), the Pharisees are more nuanced than commonly thought to be.

Part of the tension we lose in the dialogue today is that the Pharisees really tried to be righteous. They knew their Bibles as well as anyone. Their devotion was, purportedly, deep.