Paleo-Orthodoxy

A few years ago, I became interested in studying theology. I knew somehow I wanted to teach in some way that was helpful to the church, but did not really know what that meant. After about 100 hours of theology and bible classes, some infrequent prayer and a few failed attempts at fasting, I changed programs to historical theology. I found after all the different classes that what most had changed for me was my ecclesiology.

Since I come from the independent bible church background, I had kind of a short sited view of the church, its faith and practice. I’m now studying historical theology and specifically the second century. It seems like very important stuff happened in this time. Jesus had ascended, but had left apostles and the Holy Spirit to guide us. The apostles grew the church and chose men to lead after they died. These men became known as the Apostolic Fathers. They taught the church what the apostles had taught them, which had been taught to them from Christ. The basics of this teaching was also heard by people and remembered by making catchy pneumonic devices and having the central teaching become a part of training for baptism. These catechetical formulas were later carried to Nicea and helped formulate the Nicean creed.

Now much of modern scholarship takes a harsh view of this progression and would like to argue against it, pointing to the diversity and even arguments in christianity. They would say that there is only the story of the powerful which gets published, and the weaker, losing side gets sublimated. While it is true that the church is made of people, who are sinners by nature, and some have erred and done bad things, there is still a clear preservation of the essentials of the christian faith. They have been preserved by the Holy Spirit who is building the Church and sustains its teaching. Much of this essential teaching is  contained in the Nicene Creed.  This summer I begin writing on Christology in First Clement. As I engage with the early fathers and modern writers like Thomas Oden, D.H. Williams, Robert Webber and others it becomes clear that the way forward for the church is to look back and to receive the faith deposit which has been passed down.

The greatest deposit of this apostolic teaching is scripture in the closed cannon of 66 book, old and new testament. the problem is that every cult out there uses scripture and often know it as well or better that you or I. The apostolic teaching of the church shows us how to read the bible christianly. God is a trinity. Jesus is God come in the flesh. These things which are always being perverted are kept safe in the historic teaching of the church. To resource historic orthodoxy for the church is essential, but it is not an easy task. First it requires theologians, whom the free evangelical church largely thinks they can do without.  Yet we must continue and join together to point the way back to historic orthodoxy. Who Christ is continues to be the most important questions you will ask. Along with of course, who is the Father and the Spirit? What is the church? What are the essential apostolic teachings that has remained consistent throughout time? What is the meaning and importance of baptism and the Lord’s supper?

I hope to engage in discussion on these topics, neither avoiding the tough questions of theology, nor neglecting the instruction of the early church fathers.  If free church evangelicalism is going to weather the storm of the post Christian west, we need them to inform our faith and practice. For those familiar with the literature, yes, the blog title is Tom Oden’s phrase. I’m not sure of a better one at this point. You can read a brief review of this here.