Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
Week 5: Chapter 5 — The Pharisee and the Child
Read Chapter 5 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Luke 18:9–14; Matthew 23:1–12.
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Manning turns here to one of the most searching questions in the book: how does the impostor hide most successfully — not in obvious sin, but in religious respectability?
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Manning uses the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14) as a lens for examining the "inner Pharisee" — the part of us that compares, measures, and judges. How does Jesus's shocking conclusion (the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee) subvert the religious logic of the crowd?
2.Manning identifies the inner Pharisee not as an obviously wicked character but as the voice inside us that is scrupulously religious while remaining fundamentally self-focused. Where do you notice the inner Pharisee most in your own thought life — perhaps in comparison, in spiritual pride, or in subtle contempt for others?
3.Manning argues that the Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18 is actually a form of self-congratulation dressed as worship. How do we guard against forms of prayer, Scripture reading, or church attendance that are more about self-management and image maintenance than genuine encounter with God?
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