Articles
Somewhere Between Orthodoxy and Innovation
When we become accustomed to certain beliefs and practices, it is easy to shut down conscious thought and remain in the bliss of orthodoxy. By orthodoxy I mean that which is familiar, habitual, in line with one’s peer group. Because something is orthodox doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but depending on orthodoxy to define reality runs the risk of becoming mired in inadequacy. The person of orthodoxy assumes he has all he needs and knows all he needs to know. He barricades himself against further insights and the growth that comes with it.
Of course, we easily recognize the danger of orthodoxy in scientific applications. The scientific examination of our world and the sound conclusions that flow from it is in constant flux. We now find it laughable that people once believed the earth was flat or that it was at the center of the universe, and we praise the innovators that risked their reputations and sometimes their lives to expand the thinking of their generation.
The mindset that lies to the other extreme is innovation. By this I mean not merely expedient, lawful change but the constant desire to “push the envelope,” restless thought that is unanchored and driven by the trade winds of speculation and novelty. This person rejects the orthodox merely because it is orthodox, not because he has discovered its flaws or found a clearer way forward.
In NT history, the Jews obviously fall into the first category. When Jesus presented a whole new dimension of thinking, not just different but the true meaning of both the Law of Moses and the coming spiritual kingdom, He stretched the orthodox Jewish paradigm to the breaking point. I doubt that we truly appreciate the enormity of change the Jews were asked to embrace, but God expected them to make that change nonetheless. They had to be flexible enough to recognize further manifestations of truth, and most of them weren’t.
The Athenians are in the latter category: “All the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Ac 17:21). Not just their thoughts but their thought process was ungrounded. Thus, at the mention of resurrection, “some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter’” (17:32). Inflection might have told us this was a brush off. However, a few did shake loose the shackles of skepticism and embrace Christ (17:34).
Both extremes of orthodoxy and innovation are cognitive slavery. Rather than deal forthrightly with the information available, each camp simply colors everything according to a preconceived mindset. True disciples must find the stability of trusting the solid foundation of truth which they have learned and yet explore the new vistas opened by each summit of knowledge scaled. This approach is exemplified by the Bereans who “were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Ac 17:11).
