Are
we giving as much energy to obeying and being transformed by God’s Word
personally as we are to criticizing its detractors? This is Joshua Harris’s
test question for determining whether we are pursuing humble orthodoxy, which
he explains in his new book Humble
Orthodoxy: Holding the Truth High without Putting People Down.
I
think it’s embarrassing when I hear Christians bludgeoning each other with
their pet doctrines or pounding others over the head in judgment. Humble orthodoxy is committing ourselves to
holding on to truth and never giving up on showing love to others. It doesn’t mean being hesitant where God has
been plain and clear. It means standing
for truth with a tear in our eye. And it
means living it – embodying the truth that you know and teach.
Joshua
Harris points out that there is a difference between having a critical mind
that carefully evaluates and having a critical spirit that loves to tear down
and belittle. Humble orthodoxy squelches
pride as it holds out the truth while loving his neighbor and his enemy.
Maybe
you believe that hell is a real place and your Christ-following friend does
not. Before trying to spout out all of
the supporting Scripture, think – do you live like you believe it? Are you trying to “save” as many people from
hell as you can because you know how horrifying it is? Maybe your friend believes in a health-wealth
gospel, and you don’t. Are you living a
life of accumulating things and feel like God is blessing you because you are
so good?
This
is a short book of 60 pages that offers much food for thought and
discussion. The size and depth of this
book along with the discussion guide in the back would make it a great
one-month study for a small group, for partnering with a friend, or even just
to ponder alone. I highly recommend this
short read to any Christ follower who is passionate about what they believe.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary
copy of this book from Waterbook Multnomah Publishing in exchange for my honest
review.
I've been wanting to read this one. It sounds interesting and helpful. I like the point that we should live what we believe instead of just talking about it. So important. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book. : )
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