The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith

Written by Trevin Wax

Narrated by Trevin Wax

Every generation faces the temptation to wander from orthodoxy-to seek out the jolt that comes with false teaching, and to drift with cultural currents. And so every generation must be awakened again to the thrill of orthodoxy, and experience the astonishment that comes from stumbling afresh upon the electrifying paradoxes at the heart of the Christian faith.

In The Thrill of Orthodoxy, Trevin Wax turns the tables on those who believe Christian teaching is narrow and outdated. Returning to the church's creeds, he explains what orthodoxy is and why we can have proper confidence in it, and lays out common ways we can stray from it. By showing how heresies are always actually narrower than orthodoxy-taking one aspect of the truth and wielding it as a weapon against others-Wax beckons us away from the broad road that ultimately proves bland and boring, and toward the straight and narrow path, where true adventure can be found.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Nov 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781545922507

Trevin Wax

Trevin Wax (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as Bible and reference publisher for B&H Publishing Group. He is the author of three books and blogs regularly for the Gospel Coalition. Trevin lives in middle Tennessee with his wife, Corina, and their three children.

Reviews for The Thrill of Orthodoxy

[Amanda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book and nice, broad view of the importance of sound Christian teaching. I loved the book recommendations at the end to further continue reading/studying on the topic.

[Tim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Uniquely centering. Intriguing articulation. Soul stirring and affirming. Immense blessing!

[Trenton Parker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book on why orthodoxy not only matters, but how it is also thrilling. Very thankful for this book.

[blbooks-14314 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First sentence from the foreword: Nothing thrills the disillusioned. First sentence from chapter one: The church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow. J.R.R. Tolkien once said that the most regrettable feature of human nature is how quickly we become unsatisfied with the good. I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this thought-provoking read. This one celebrates creeds, confessions, and orthodoxy. (But not for the sake of being doctrinally correct.) Wax links orthodoxy with loving God, worshipping God, living for God, walking with God. IN some ways, this one is about re-embracing the Christian basics and rekindling your awe for God. IN some ways, this one is about living for Christ in a non-Christian [secular] world with opposing/contrasting values, ethics, and beliefs. It does address contemporary issues facing individual christians and the church as a whole. It does a great job at redirecting the focus to the BIG picture. To keeping everything aligned and in check so that you don't lose perspective and forget what really matters.In all honesty, I was slightly nervous about reading books from this publishing house. While they have published some genuinely AWESOME books in the past, they've also published some extremely liberal/progressive books through the years--particularly the last decade or so. But this one was so SOLID. It was genuinely biblical and trustworthy.I mentioned this briefly in my opening paragraph, but I LOVED how thought-provoking it was. Very convicting in places. Definitely stayed with me in between reading sessions. This book lived with me for days. (Not all books do). Wish I owned it instead of it being a library book.Quotes:The adventure for life is a fight for astonishment, a determination to resist growing bored in a world of wonders.Why do we so easily lose our wonder at truths that have informed and inspired Christians for generations? How is it we find ourselves no longer wowed by old truths? Why are we drawn toward theological error? Before we recapture the thrill of orthodoxy--a renewed sense of awe and wonder at the glories of the gospel--we need to pay close attention to signs that the thrill of truth has faded. How can we know if we're drifting? How can we see if we're more susceptible to errors than we think?Discovering truth is a little like dealing with the weather....You may have your preferences, but you don't say my weather and your weather, because you're not in control.Christianity isn't just giving mental assent to a set of propositions. It's giving yourself to a Person. For that reason, the statements we make about the identity of God really matter. True Christianity does not emphasize following Jesus by neglecting what we believe about him. Too many well-intentioned Christians pit deeds against creeds.Carefulness regarding theology is an expression of love, not a distraction from it. Theology should be undertaken as an act of service to God and neighbor. Theology is healthiest within the context of mission, when the study of Scriptures helps us fulfill the command of Jesus to make disciples.Theology and love connect because theology is about a Person. "This is who God is. This is how you respond to God." To put it another way, "This is God. Now, love him."Theology defines and directs the mission.The key phrase of the Christian is not "I create," but "I confess." What we believe matters. By confessing our faith, we are standing on something we know is true. In confessing our faith, we are saying not "I build a religion" but "I believe in revelation." Not "I invent," but "I receive." We do not have the authority to change doctrine to fit the times. That's not our purview.Augustine was known for saying Christians are to stand "against" the world "for the good" of the world. Our opposition to sin is never a goal by itself, but always a means to a greater good. We dissent from some of the prevailing perspectives of our time, not because we find our identity in being naysayers, but because our no is in service to a greater yes. Nothing removes the thrill of orthodoxy faster than nonchalance--the shrug of the shoulders toward doctrinal debates and creedal affirmations.The problem with lowering the eternal stakes of Christianity and removing the eternal significance from our actions, our decisions, and our evangelism is that our quest for adventure will lead us to raise the stakes on lesser matters. We will find adventure. We will be on a quest. And if we don't accept the life-or-death urgency that Jesus and the apostles convey in their teaching, we will insert life-or-death urgency into other challenges, making earthly problems appear bigger than they are.