Humility, while essential for conversion and sanctification, is the least emphasized virtue. Farley alerts us to the problem and shows how ours is a humbling gospel, stressing the need for a ministry that promotes humility.
What do Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, William Law, Andrew Murray, and C.S. Lewis all agree on? First, they concur that humility is the root of all virtue--the essential spiritual fruit necessary for both conversion and sanctification. Second, they concur that, despite its importance, it is one least emphasized by the church. William Law noted, 'it is the least understood, the least regarded, the least intended, the least desired and sought after, of all other virtues, amongst all sorts of Christians.' Nothing has changed. The most important virtue is still the least valued. If humility matters this much then all Christian ministry should aim to produce not just faith, but faith that amplifies humility. Why and how to do that is the subject of this book.
