Humble Orthodoxy

Joshua Harris is pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, a Maryland suburb of Washington D.C.  He is a member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and The Gospel Coalition.
He is the author of six books; the most recent publications are Dug Down Deep and Humble Orthodoxy.
He and his wife Shannon have three children.
You can connect with Joshua via the following:
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Podcast.

We don’t get to choose between humility and orthodoxy. We need both.

In Humble Orthodoxy, bestselling author Joshua Harris examines New Testament teachings about the calling of believers to a love-infused courage that ignores foolish controversies, patiently endures evil, and champions truth with generosity of spirit. Without this kind of humility, Harris asserts, we become like the Pharisees—right in our doctrine, but ultimately destroying the cause of truth with our pride.



This tiny 96 page book packs a powerful punch!  For example, consider this quote from the forward by J.D. Greear:

"A great deal of damage is done by those who hold the truth of Christ with the spirit of satan."

For those wondering if Harris has written another book that is soft or compromising on holding high the truths of God's Word in the name of loving thy neighbor, consider these words from Harris in chapter one:

"Love for God and love for neighbor require us to oppose falsehood.  There is nothing more unloving than to be silent in the face of lies that will ruin another person."

"You and I need to contend for the truth.  But there's a fine line between contending for truth and being contentious.  I think this is why, in his final instructions to Timothy, the seasoned apostle went out of his way to tell Timothy that even though orthodoxy is important, it's not enough by itself.  Truth matters, but so does our attitude."

As believers, we have received the most rich and abundant grace and mercy from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - atonement for our sins, redemption, and restoration that opens up the way for a right standing with God and a relationship with Him.  How can we effectively share the good news with anyone without extending a portion of that same grace and mercy?  The message of Harris's book is that we can't.

Humble Orthodoxy contains a message that is needed to be heard by every pastor, minister, and lay Christian who cares about reaching others with the good news of salvation found in Jesus Christ.

The book contains a study guide that would be helpful for use in a Sunday School setting or small group meeting.  The study guide isn't designed just to fill the reader's head with more knowledge, but encourages practical application with given action steps to be taken and exhorts the learner to know the truth and know how to hold it high while loving others with the love of Christ.

I highly recommend this book!


*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah for the purpose of this review as part of their Blogging for Books program.

Blessings,
Jennifer