§ 1 The text
NASB
Proverbs 29:25, NASBThe fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
The claim this verse counters
“We must calibrate our demands to what the public will accept.”
§ 2 The argument
Calibrating justice to public acceptability is the 'fear of man' that Scripture calls a snare. Abolitionists argue incrementalism's consensus-first method — polling the culture before deciding how much justice to demand — is precisely this trap; faithfulness trusts God rather than the crowd.
§ 3 Context & notes
Directly targets the incrementalist emphasis on 'building consensus' and 'the culture isn't ready.' The contrast is trust in the Lord vs. fear of the stakeholders.
§ 4 Themes
fear of man consensus trust in God courage
§ 5 Discussion questions
- Is 'the culture isn't ready' a prudential judgment or the fear-of-man snare Proverbs warns against?
- How do you tell the difference between wise timing and cowardice dressed as strategy?
Source transcript
Drawn from
The Sin of Pro-Life Incrementalism (T. Russell Hunter) — 'what does the fear of man do? It brings a snare.'
§ 6 Related
Editorial note
Verse text is quoted from the NASB. Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org