In the Boneyard of Dead Orthodoxy

As a confessional Presbyterian church planter, I’m regularly in danger of falling into the jaws of dead orthodoxy. This is true of me as an individual, and this is true of our churches that we are planting.

This is because dead orthodoxy has always been a problem unique to churches that pride themselves in right theology. This happened in the generation that followed the Puritans. It happened in the days of Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. It is true for many pockets of the conservative, confessional, and Reformed world today.

For this reason, I have devoted an entire book to the topic due out this April, but I’ve also decided to take a stab at it in a more modest way here.

What is Dead Orthodoxy?

So what does dead orthodoxy look like?

In a nutshell, it is when we love the creeds and confessions of the church, but they have failed to make us more like Jesus. It is when right doctrine makes us haughty, gruff, impatient, and hard. It is when we turn sour towards those not in our doctrinal camp or when we are experts in theology but perpetual delinquents when it comes to the prayer closet.

I’m very aware that in one sense there is no such thing as dead orthodoxy. The word “orthodoxy” presupposes right belief, and right belief assumes warmth and vitality, producing in the person a genuine growth in Christ-likeness and love for God and man. As God’s truth works in us, there is a transformation that takes place. This leads to more and more life, not deadness. And yet, is it possible to have correct doctrine without a regenerate heart? Can one have right belief, and even assent to that belief, while not having a saving trust in the person of Christ? I believe it is not only possible, but common.

Think of the demons in the Bible. They knew the truth about Jesus. They assented to Jesus’ gospel being true. But they refused to trust Him. They didn’t love Him. They followed Him around, but it wasn’t motivated by devotion. In fact, they hated Him precisely because they knew His gospel to be true (James 2:19; Matt. 8:29). Saving faith requires knowledge, assent, and trust in the gospel. But in the case of dead orthodoxy, trust can be missing. The person may be unregenerate. They may honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from Him (Matt. 15:8). The devils believe God is one, and tremble (James 2:19). And so do many hypocrites. 

But that is not our only option when it comes to explaining dead orthodoxy. Is it possible to be a Christian but have an inconsistent outworking of that faith in one’s life? Here, too, we must answer yes. This can be seen in all of us. Anytime we sin as Christians, are we not acting inconsistently with our belief in God? With our love of God? With our hatred of sin? Sanctification assumes there is an ongoing work of grace taking place within each believer, but it also assumes inconsistencies are still present. Otherwise, there would be nothing left to “sanctify.”

These inconsistencies can be either doctrinal or practical. Inconsistent Christian living, or a defect in “orthopraxy,” can be a reason for dead orthodoxy. For example, how many Christians have had a bad experience in the charismatic world and so become skeptical of anything experiential, enthusiastic, or abnormal? This leads to an imbalance towards coldness and formalism. The same is true if one has had a bad experience of evangelism. It could lead to a disgust for it. Thus, the term “dead orthodoxy,” while in some ways imperfect, is a fitting description of the condition we are considering.

Whitewashed Tombs

In one of Jesus’ more scathing denunciations, He says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:37).

Historically, whitewashed tombs were a way to venerate the dead. They were meant to spruce up the receptacle of the corpse. The same can be said of dead orthodoxy. It is an attempt to prop up what is dead through customs, rituals, pomp, noise, and sham piety. It is an attempt to appease the conscience by appealing to some nominal action such as saying a Sinner’s prayer, walking an aisle, or wearing a cross necklace, even when such things don’t mark the person’s life in any profound way. Thus, Jesus said such people “outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:37).

But historically, the practice of whitewashing tombs also served as a warning. It marked off the tombs as a “no-go” area, since it meant uncleanness for the person who would be exposed to the dead body. It was a caution to people in the vicinity. This can be useful for us as well. Dead orthodoxy is to be avoided. It is something to root out and run from. It is deadly and staining, and it has been around for a long time.

This isn’t to say we should avoid people caught up in such a sin, but rather that we should warn and encourage them, always keeping watch on our ourselves and our own heart, lest we too be tempted (Gal. 6:1). It is easy to point the finger at other’s deadness, but what about us? Are we running on empty? Is our spiritual life a desert? Are we dead, perhaps? And if so, what are we to do? What are we to tell others to do? Turn again to Jesus! Gaze once more upon Him. Consider the glories of the gospel and the inheritance we have in Christ. Call out to Him to save you. Cry to Him to awaken you. Christ is a Person. He hears you. He sees you.

Return to the Old Paths

I’m not calling for something novel, here. Right doctrine was never meant to be just intellectual. It is to be experienced. It is to be tasted. It is to produce something inward, and work change outwardly. This is why David exclaims, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps. 34:8). It is what leads Paul to say, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). The dry, hard, stale, non-experiential type of Christianity that we see floating around today is an aberration from our English Puritan, Scottish covenanter, & magisterial Reformed forefathers. They knew nothing of cold and clinical Christianity.

For example, the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) is a document rich with experiential language. It speaks of God’s withdrawal of His Spirit and God’s reviving through that same Spirit (18.4). The prominent William Ames (1576 – 1633) said “theology is the doctrine, or teaching, of living to God.” He doesn’t say theology is merely doctrine or teaching. He says it is that, but that such doctrine is expected to produce a living unto God. The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) is just as clear on this point. In Question 90, we are asked: “What is the quickening of the new man”? This is a reference to the new birth. The answer is replete with experiential vocabulary: “Heartfelt joy in God through Christ, causing us to take delight in living according to the will of God in all good works.” Unlike Ames’ answer but not inconsistent with it, the idea of “heartfelt joy” and “delight” is introduced into this notion of right living. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1646) says the chief end of man is not only to glorify God, but “to enjoy Him forever,” which is a clear reference to the affections or emotions of a person as it relates to their idea of God.

The Need for Balance

When it comes to the Christian life, one of Satan’s most successful tactics is to employ extremes. For example, if the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is taken to extremes of fanaticism and oddity, our reaction is then to deny the life of the Holy Spirit altogether. If certain groups see the devil in everything, others will respond by refusing to see him anywhere. If some groups say that every gift of the Holy Spirit is operative in every local church and at every period of the church, others will say that no gift of the Holy Spirit was intended to be operative after the age of the apostles. If some groups err towards legalism, the response is often antinomianism.

But what the Scriptures show is balance, especially when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Until the return of Christ, the church will be characterized by a general outpouring and manifestation of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that such manifestations will be uniform in every time and place, since both biblically and historically there are seasons of special activity on the part of the Holy Spirit.

This idea of balance is needed when it comes to the Christian life, as well. It is typical for a person to swing from hot to cold on any given day. Christian affections, or inclinations toward God, His ways, and His works, seem to come and go in all of us. When we are praying and reading the Bible, our hearts can glow with love for God. Thirty minutes later we have resentment towards our spouse or boss. By the end of the day, we may find ourselves dry, hard, and absent from all things spiritual. Any lively acting of the will towards God is seemingly lost. It is easy to grow dark with despair. Or, on the flip side, if a red-hot zeal for God is sustained over a lengthy period of time, it is easy to become Pharisaical towards those of lesser spiritual attainment. We begin to look down at such persons. We become puffed up. We become proud. What happens next is inevitable. God lets us fall. We are humbled by some circumstance.

Thus, the Christian life is one of ups and downs, and so to understand this about ourselves is a way to maintain balance and perspective. You are hot now? See it as God’s grace. Be humble. You are cold now? Don’t despair, but rather seek the face of God, pursue spiritual disciplines, and wait until the fire returns.

The fact that the Scriptures use such language as “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) and “do not grieve the Spirit” (Eph. 4:30) indicates that the presence of the Holy Spirit is more obvious in some seasons of life than in others. The Holy Spirit is always dwelling in the believer. That part does not change. But there are different levels or seasons of power, awareness, and fullness of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. There are seasons when the Holy Spirit is manifested in us in a way more powerful and obvious than in other seasons.

The Hope of Despondency

When stuck in “the slough of despond,” remember that sorrow over our lack of God-directed emotion is itself a battering ram against dead orthodoxy. To feel sorrow over one’s “deadness” means the deadness is already thawing. To feel sorrow is a type of warmth, not coldness. It means we have tasted the joys of the living God, and we thirst for more of it. The very fact that we regret our current condition is a mark of warm orthodoxy. This is something to be encouraged by, not discouraged.

Consider the example of a tree. A living tree will bleed if you scar it deeply with a knife. Such a response is a sign of life and activity. Do the same thing to a dead tree, however, and nothing will happen. Sorrow and grief are signs of the Holy Spirit at work in a person’s soul. Thus, while you are concerned about your state, turn to Jesus and let Him do His regenerative healing. This has always been the antidote to dead orthodoxy. We serve a living Savior. Whatever our shortcomings are at present, God is not done sculpting the Christian into the image of His Son. Look again unto Jesus, and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water.