You see you don't have to live like a pharisee...*

Against Heresies: The tragic essence of Pharisaic piety

Where will you find the best expression of the essence of Pharisaic piety?
It lies in what Jesus says about the prayer of the Pharisee in the temple:
God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. (Lk. 18:11-12)

A well written post that's definitely reading in its entirity. I found the comparison of the Publican's prayer to that of Pelagius eye-opening. My response:


When one strips away the embellishments, basically what it comes down to is pride disguised as piety. The real problem, I think, is that it's a much easier trap to fall in than most believers think. A good object lesson for this can be found in Philip Yancey's book, The Jesus I Never Knew, where he relates a story of where a student of his caught him and the rest of the class he was teaching of acting Pharisaical by criticizing others for being Pharisees (pp. 85-86).
* with apologies to Tom Petty