Review - Humble Orthodoy

"Shouldn't individuals and churches that hold most faithfully to orthodoxy and biblical truth be the most frequently filled with godly repentance?" - Josh Harris

Before I get into the bulk of my review, I am going to say this: get Humble Orthodoxy: Holding the Truth High Without Putting People Down.  Normally I don't endorse a book this strongly, but this one is very important.

Humble Orthodoxy was taken from Joshua Harris' Dug Down Deep.  Based on what I read in this book, I have added Dug Down Deep to my short list of "to-buy" books.

In some ways, I was a bit surprised at this book.  Harris navigates maybe one of the most challenging tensions in the Christian faith: how do we hold to both humility and truth?  He skillfully demonstrates the pitfalls in both camps - those that claim to hold to truth and those who claim grace.

Harris articulates that 1) truth (orthodoxy) matters, and 2) so does our approach.  To emphasize one over the other is a biblical error.  In many ways, he successfully offends both the "truth" and the "grace" crowds...and we need it, because, I believe, it's a Godly conviction.

Harris highlights throughout the book that this is an issue of the heart.  This is steeped in attitude.  For example, on page 5, he says, "We must care deeply about truth, and we must also defend and share this truth with compassion and humility."  This is a theme repeated throughout the book.  Truth matters, but so does the attitude in which it's delivered.

I think what I appreciated most was the humility with which Harris writes and also the conviction in the message he shares.  He never advocates for softening the message, but he implores sharing with a tenderness.  Much of what he shares is pointing back to our own conversion, remembering the gentleness in which Jesus welcomed us.

This may be one of the most crucial books for our generation.  Truth is being attacked from many sides, and there are two dangerous tendencies within the church.  First, some advocate for turning aside from the truth, embracing a more Universalist approach to the faith.  Second, others are determined to defend the truth, regardless of how the message is perceived.  The message Harris leaves with the reader is this: we should absolutely defend the truth, but we should do it with the humility of an individual who recognizes what they've been saved from.

I'll close with my favorite quote from the book.  On page 57, Harris writes, "In eternity we'll see the silliness of self-righteousness and quarreling over non essentials.  But we'll also see with piercing clarity just how essential the essentials really are." When speaking of revealing the very nature of God, sharing orthodoxy with humility is imperative.   

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.