Thought for Today
Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Psalm 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
Romans 3:21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 he righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
For no apparent reason, the word orthodox is on my mind today. Interestingly, the word does not appear in the Bible. My theological dictionary defines orthodox as, “That which is considered to be correct or proper belief as defined by official ecclesiastical bodies.”
Before I go any further, I want to affirm my own orthodoxy, my correct and proper belief and adherence to the orthodoxy of “official ecclesiastical bodies.” I am not a religious heretic, “One who espouses a view that is not consistent with an official church teaching or doctrine.” Although, I am a Calvinist, so at least some of my Catholic friends might argue my orthodoxy.
I was raised in a conventional, nuclear family as the middle of 3 children. Some scholars posit that my familial positioning as a middle child predisposes me to avoid conflict and controversy, possibly explaining my orthodoxy. I was initially trained as an engineer, one of the most orthodox of all professions. We raised our children in a Presbyterian church, the church which nurtured me through seminary. I was trained in ministry in a conventional, orthodox seminary. I have ministerial standing in 2 very conventional, orthodox Reformed denominations. So, why is that word on my mind this morning?
Previously I have mentioned that each morning as I arise, I am greeted by a plaque on my dresser showing that passage above from Joshua. It is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. My high school Latin is more than a little rusty, but, if my family had a heraldic shield or crest, I would want it to be the phrase “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
For Protestants, where do we go to find our orthodox beliefs, our own “proper belief as defined by official ecclesiastical bodies.”? Few denominations teach it anymore, but there is a rich history and tradition in Protestantism about the various statements of faith of our ancestors in the faith. Presbyterians are governed by a written constitution in 2 volumes. One volume it titled, “Book of Confessions.” The earliest confession included is the Nicene Creed. A total of 12 confessions are included, the final being the Belhar Confession of 1986.
The Presbyterians do not have an exclusive on confessions of faith or on “proper belief as defined by official ecclesiastical bodies.” Nor are those 12 confessions the totality of all of the confessions of faith drafted and/or adopted by Christendom. Is it good to try to gather our beliefs into clearly stated, written documents? I believe it is. On more than one occasion, I have incorporated the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed into worship services as a unison confession of faith, always followed by an assurance of pardon.
One of my own, personal tenets of faith, however, is that Christians are called to be wary of rigidity, to avoid being inflexible and unquestioning in matters of faith. I believe our Creator God has given us questing minds for a reason. To paraphrase one of the ministers of that Presbyterian church we so long attended, ‘Presbyterians are not required to check their minds as they enter the sanctuary doors.’ My only change to that would be to widen its scope to “Christians are not required to cease thinking as they worship.”
When you talk to God, hopefully regularly and often, it is okay to ask questions. In fact, I believe it is a requirement for us all to ask God questions. What possible better source could we access than the Creator of Creation? I ask God a lot of questions. Some of them arise from my reading of history, some from my reading of church history, some from my reading of Confessions and some from what I observe and experience from the world around me. The hymn In the Garden is now running through my mind.
Stay safe, walk and talk with God, trust God,
Pastor Ray