Pride as sin and virtue (Examining the tension between Christian eschatology and the affirmation of hope)

This paper examines a tension in Christian thought between the traditional critique of pride as a sin and the more recent affirmation of pride as a vi rtue. By analyzing where each locates the fundamental evil to be overcome, it shows how this critique and affirmation are conflicting goods that need to be held together. It concludes by indicating how the eschatological Chri stian hope and the preferential option for the poor help achieve this goal, and points to a dynamic understanding of God's relationship to the world t hat can undergird both the affirmation and the critique of pride.