Return to Humble Orthodoxy
by
Suzanne Hadley
on Apr 30, 2007 at 9:56 AM
Last year I was a first-time attendee to New Attitude. I agree with Ted that following the conference, "I found myself more in love with the Lord, more in wonder of the cross, and more challenged in my faith."
I wrote the following blog after hearing Joshua Harris' opening message about embracing a humble orthodoxy.
Orthodoxy: the practice of observing established social customs and definitions of appropriateness.
Saturated. That is how I would describe my state of mind having passed through my first 24 hours of New Attitude. I have always loved 1 Timothy 4:12, where Paul encourages the young man to not let people look down on him because he is young. The 2,500 attendees of New Attitude embody a bold answer to that call. There is an urgency here — in everything from worship to witnessing on the plane to conversations with friends — that is often missing in young people.
Last night, Joshua Harris talked about rediscovering a "humble orthodoxy." He charged us to be a generation that faithfully handles the truth as Paul encourages in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." Instead of viewing the gospel as play dough that we can shape into something new and innovative, Josh encouraged us to view the gospel as a diamond. How can we best hold up God's truth, untarnished, for all to see?
The first step is to live the truth personally. Paul compares believers to vessels in a house (v. 20). Some vessels are set aside for honorable use and some for dishonorable use. The dishonorable vessels are followers of Jesus who continue to dwell in sin. Paul says, "flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace." (v. 22) Though we often think of lust in a sexual context, Josh pointed out that in this context Paul seems to be encouraging Timothy to put aside the arrogant and impulsive attitude of youth.
This was convicting. Our generation is proud. We act as if we have it figured out. We forge ahead without counsel. We bristle at accountability. We reject authority. And yet these are the very things that God uses to cultivate greater righteousness and faith in our lives. Part of faithfully handling the truth, Josh said, is representing the truth with humility. We have not earned the gospel, so we have no reason to be arrogant about it. "We need to be humbled by the truth," he said, "and, in turn, share that truth in humility. Rediscover what has always been true. Embrace a humble orthodoxy."
Last year I was humbled by the truth. And I'm looking forward to returning for more. See you at the Boundless booth!
1. Mandi had the following to say on Apr 30 at 10:20 AM:
Mmm...with great respec to Joshua, that definition of "orthodoxy" doesn't really cut it.
The word "orthodox" comes from the Greek "ortho" (meaning "right" or "correct") and "doxa" (meaning "glorification", "thought", "teaching").
I get what he's saying, that it's a faithful handling of the truth. But it's not really correct to define orthodoxy away from its root words in Greek to mean "the practice of observing established social customs and definitions of appropriateness". It's about more than "social customs". It's about *what* we believe and why, whether it is correct or not, and how we express those beliefs in our glorification of God in worship and in daily life. "Social customs" don't really cut it, with great respect.
2. Ted Slater had the following to say on Apr 30 at 12:38 PM:
Mandi -- it is kind of an unexpected definition, though it is directly from the dictionary. I'm with you that the first definition one should give for this word should be the more clinical/precise "right teaching" or "sound doctrine," as you say.
I can see how the definition given *could* come across as wishy washy, an outgrowth of mere situational ethics.
That said, I do understand how the definition given is still compatible with "right teaching." If "definitions of appropriateness" are drawn from Scripture, for example, then such a definition is consistent with "right teaching."
Perhaps they were wanting to make the sermon more practicable by including a social dimension to the concept.
3. Suzanne had the following to say on Apr 30 at 6:29 PM:
And the definition was part of my original blog not anything Joshua said. So, no offense to Suzanne. :)
4. Dan had the following to say on Apr 30 at 7:19 PM:
This is quite inspiring, I can relate to how you feel! I went to a young adults leaders conference over the weekend, and one of the main messages that came out of that was the importance of authority in your life. This ties in with what Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:12, that because we are young we should set an example. We shouldn't be arrogant, and the best way not to be arrogant is to submit to the leadership that God has set for us in our lives. This is where we step into the anointing that we have on our lives.
I guess I fell into the trap of thinking that I would have to somehow break out and do something completely new outside of that when we want to do something great. But observing the authority and accountability in our lives and serving without an agenda, that's when we see real blessing on our lives.