Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

George Barna did a survey based on six absolute moral truths: "the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and the personal responsibility to evangelize." It is no surprise that Southern Baptist's came out smelling like a rose. But if a person would create a list of biblical orthopraxy absolutes, Afro American pastors might do well. A survey based on a biblical worldview that only includes doctrine or orthodoxy is only half biblical.

The following are a suggested list of orthopraxy absolutes. What would your list include?

1. reconciliation between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, black and white.
2. love your ethnic neighbor as yourself.
3. a Spirit-filled church in ministry among the poor.
4. social justice as modeled in the Jubilee principles.
5. incarnating the kingdom of God here on earth.
6. confronting oppression.
7. confronting ethnocentrism.
8.
9.
10.

On October 6, 2002, John Piper preached a strong sermon on Isaiah 58 in which he argued that orthodoxy must be followed by orthopraxy. "We are saved for the sake of God-exalting good works. This is the aim of our justification---not the ground, but the aim and the fruit." "The point of Isaiah is this: Piety that does not produce a passion for God-exalting social justice and practical mercy is worthless. Or to put it positively: God promises that we will break forth like the dawn if our piety produces a passion for social justice and practical mercy."

Biblically, including social justice as a part of spiritual formation is a requirement, not a option. For a good Hebrew, individual righteousness and social justice were like Siamese twins; they could not be separated and live.

Reformed churches are known for precise doctrinal statements so it was very disgraceful when the Dutch Reformed church in South Africa created and implemented evil apartheid. What went wrong? A Reformed philosopher, Hendrik Hart, dug deeply into this tragic failure and concluded:

1. Reformed people misinterpreted the key verse of the Reformation "the just shall live by faith." Correctly understood in its larger context. the church is called to, in the midst of massive injustice, not only live righteously but also do justice by faith.

2. Reformed churches have been strong on orthdoxy (correct doctrine), but weak on orthopraxy (correct practice).

Implication: Churches need to be as precise in their creedal statements of works, works of justice as they are in their doctrinal statements of faith. For example, there should be a church committee to identify and root out any practices of male superiority, cultural superiority, racial superiority, and national superiority. Or to put it positively, how grace and works of justice should be done, love and works of justice, faith and works of justice and spirituality and works of justice. If we leave a vacuum, social evil will creep in as it did in Mississippi when most of the white church either tolerated or supported first slavery, then segregation.

Do we need two lists; one positive and one negative?

1. Specify what works of grace, love and reconciliation the church should be doing.
2. Identify the systems of oppression that flow out of ethnocentrism and sexism.