The following rant is a bit off topic...but contains relevance regarding the subject of the ego...which has been touched upon in this thread.
What about positive thinking and self esteem? Are they in harmony with the Teachings of Jesus? Are they a new religion which is out of harmony with the Teachings of Jesus? What is the underlying principle in the Teachings of Jesus? Is it positive thinking and self esteem, or something else?
Without going into a proof text rant, I must say that I find positive thinking much more biblical than self esteem. Faith is closely related to positive thinking, and is well thought of in scripture in general, and the Teachings of Jesus in particular. On the other hand, self esteem is closely related to pride, and is decidedly not well thought of in scripture in general, and the Teachings of Jesus in particular. An extreme rendition of the joining of positive thinking and self esteem is 'I Am God'...which is not something that the Bible encourages its readers to go around proclaiming!
The problem is self delusion and self centeredness. Not facing reality is a form of lying. To yourself! Self exaltation is self centered. Self degradation is also self centered. The religion contained in the Teachings of Jesus is a Religion of Responsibility. To be responsible is to face reality, and see it clearly, and then formulate a responsible course of action, and then to implement this plan. It is duty centered. The focus is external...not internal. When someone lives responsibly, the byproduct is appropriate positive AND negative thinking (which includes both faith and doubt), and an appropriate self image. They are the fruit...not the root!
In other words, positive delusion is not the solution to negative delusion, and self exaltation is not the solution to self degradation. Responsibility trumps both positive thinking and self esteem! The religion of positive thinking and self esteem is not the religion of the Teachings of Jesus. The Religion of Responsibility is the religion of the Teachings of Jesus.
Please don't misunderstand my seemingly harsh stance on positive thinking and self esteem. A negative thinking and self degrading Christianity opened the door wide open to these teachings. They have come as a breath of fresh air to millions of people around the world. But some have found Peale appalling and Paul appealing! These twin concepts of positive thinking and self esteem have been corrective, but they should not be normative! A Religion of Responsibility, as found in the Teachings of Jesus is, in my view, the normative standard. Another way of saying this is Namaste Constitutional Responsible Freedom...which is a Secular Spirituality.
Namaste