Trevin Wax

Summary: Spirited advocacy for orthodox belief as vibrant, broad, crucial in the battle before us, and for the renewal of God’s people.

Many are the voices echoing Bishop John Shelby Spong advocating “Christianity must change or die.” Orthodoxy is portrayed as dead, sterile, narrow, confining, and irrelevant. In an era of politicized Christianity, culture wars and accommodations, and moral scandals that have left many deconstructing their faith, the temptation is to associate dogma with show more dogmatism–the sooner abandoned the better.

Trevin Wax would contend just the opposite. Writing in the tradition of figures like G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy L. Sayers, he would advocate that the way forward for both personal and communal renewal in the church is to return to the central creeds of the church, those that have defined the “communion of the saints” across the millenia and around the world. He offers the following picture to articulate his vision of the “thrill” of orthodoxy:

“Orthodoxy is an ancient castle with spacious rooms and vaulted ceilings and mysterious corridors, a vast expanse of practical wisdom handed down from our forefathers and mothers in the faith. Some inhabit the castle but fail to sift through its treasures. Others believe the castle stands in the way of progress and should be torn down. A few believe the castle’s outer shell can remain for aesthetic purposes, so long as the interior is gutted. But in every generation, God raises up those who see the value in the treasure, men and women who maintain a deep and abiding commitment to recognize and accentuate the unique beauty of Christian truth so that future generations can be ushered into its splendor” (p. 9).

Wax defines orthodoxy as “the foundational truths, consistent with the Scriptures, upon which Christians through the ages have demonstrated agreement.”

He follows this introduction with a discussion of the ways we drift from orthodoxy, usually without intent. but rather with the complacent “of course.” Some drift into a place of affirming the faith to accepting a lifeless Christianity, distant from God. Some drift into a pragmatic, “whatever works” where action becomes detached from conviction and degenerates into niceness. Yet others downplay uncomfortable beliefs that they would jettison, and perhaps do. Finally, some become more enamored with the good the church can do rather than the transforming good the gospel can do. For each, the problem is gradual drift and the antidote is the thrill of orthodoxy.

Wax argues the adventure begins with discovering who God is and what God has done. While acknowledging mystery, he contends that it is not all mystery but that God has revealed himself and calls us to the encounter of a person: who do you say that I am? We discover that certain boundaries lead to freedom and that humility rather than arrogance is essential to the understanding of truth.

He contends against those who argue that we shouldn’t fuss with the details that details matter. He proposes, for example, that the belief in original sin leaves no room for any form of moral or class superiority–we are all tainted by sin and all need salvation without exception. Even a single letter matters, such as the difference between homoousios (that the Father and Son are of the same substance) and homoiousios (that the Father and Son are of similar substance). As Karl Barth noted, his theology could be summed up with the children’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” The volumes of Barth’s theology flow from this simple statement.

One of the most striking chapters for me was that in which Wax contends that far from representing a broadening, heresy represents a narrowing. It ends up pitting one truth against another in attempt to make Christianity simpler. But to do so is always to make it smaller, less inclusive than the both-and of orthodoxy. He goes on to advocate for a humble but confident orthodoxy that neither accommodates itself to the world nor retreats from it but rather is “against the world for the world.” It is against self-help for salvation, against naturalism for a world of wonders, against sin for sanctification, and against wealth for true riches. Do you notice that, in all of these, orthodoxy wages battles against falsehoods for the love of the world and its people? When we lower the eternal stakes connected with orthodoxy, we raise the earthly stakes of other things–whether nationalism, racial purity, social justice as salvation, or whatever.

Orthodoxy beckons us to a quest of moral excellence and radical generosity that is always on the penitential path, becoming ever more aware of how far we have to go, and the grace that has been given us that calls us on. He argues that the beating heart of orthodoxy is not adaptation but application, where we take old truths and apply them to new situations, becoming a church that is always re-forming. He reminds us of the journey of Thomas Oden, who cycled through every new theological fad until challenged to go back to the Church Fathers (by a Jewish rabbi no less!) and found himself in a new place of freedom that spanned time and cultures. Orthodoxy is the eternal song of the church, reminding us both where we have come from and of our eternal destiny as the people of a holy, creating and redeeming God of wonders.

Reading Wax is like a plunge into cold, clear, sparkling waters, awakening us from the dull, the tarnished, the clouded indifference of drifting from orthodoxy. It can be both intensely uncomfortable and utterly invigorating. Wax may make you angry or lead you into the delights of the splendor of God. What he won’t do is leave you nicely indifferent. He challenges our creeping universalism, our pragmatic activism divorced from its theological roots, and our accommodations to our culture’s sexual ethics. Yet I find nothing censorious in his tone but rather, as he puts it, a stance against the world for the world–that is out of deep love for what truly contributes to the flourishing of humans created in the image of God. This book is like the fire alarm that cuts through our dreaming slumbers allowing us to find our way to safety and freedom. It is also like the call of Gandalf to home-loving hobbits to glorious and risky adventures–except that the call to us is not a fiction but to an undying future hope.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Confession: I geeked out _a lot_ :D at a reference in this book to Calvinball. Calvin and Hobbes fans are automatic kindred spirits in my book! LOL! (And same with Tolkien--so I feel like the wins in _The Thrill of Orthodoxy_ just keep coming!)

Wax does an amazing job at making history interesting. I'm a history nut anyway, but so appreciated his look back at church and orthodoxy. The major creeds (Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian) have stood for hundreds of years (or longer)--a humbling yet show more encouraging reminder at God's faithfulness, and that absolute truth does exist + is worth fighting for. I also appreciated the reminder that the Bible does not compartmentalize life ... it applies to all of life. If we are not living out our faith in every arena--why not?

Wax opens a door of communication here, and invites the reader to dialogue with others within and without the faith. (Maybe Calvinball will be a good conversation opener?)

This read truly gave me a thrill. (And I promise it wasn't just because of my own nostalgic love of my childhood comic strips, or for Middle-Earth.)

5/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

In 1969, Robert Lamm of Chicago Transit Authority asked “Does anybody really know what time it is?” His question had an existential bent to it; after all, does anyone really care (about time)?

In his new book, Eschatological Discipleship, Trevin Wax argues we should indeed care, for Scripture speaks into the lives of Christians concerning the current time and times to come. Wax aims to unite the practice of Christian discipleship with the theological category of eschatology (2). He show more defines eschatological discipleship thus: a type of spiritual formation and obedience that takes into account the contemporary setting in which one finds oneself, particularly in relation to rival conceptions of time and progress. (3). Wax argues intentionally seeing eschatology as a necessary component to discipleship will lead Christians into missionary encounters and confrontations with the world. (3)

Wax rightly indicates worldviews other than Christianity possess their own eschatologies. Quoting from another theologian, Wax explains eschatology pertains to all concepts of life after death, including the state of individuals with reference to spiritual and/or embodied existence, divine judgment and punishment, and the end of the world (26).

What could the above possibly do with the day-to-day life we live if the discipline concerns itself with future events? Wax writes, “The reason eschatology matters for understanding Christianity is the same reason geography and physicality matter for understanding Christianity; Jesus entered this world in a particular place and time,” (30, emphasis in original). Put plainly, if you walk down the street one day, you walk down a particular street at a particular time. People through Wilmington, NC at dawn, San Antonio, TX at noon, and Seattle, WA at midnight encounter different experiences, joys, and challenges. How will each individual lead a life captive to Christ given the context?

The first part of Wax’s book develops the reader’s understanding of discipleship, worldview, eschatology, and wisdom, guiding the reader through his own thinking, reflection, and research on each. He arrives at the following definition:

Eschatological discipleship is spiritual formation that seeks to instill wisdom regarding the contemporary setting in which Christians find themselves (in contrast to rival conceptions of time and progress) and that calls for contextualized obedience as a demonstration of the Christian belief that the biblical account of the world’s past, present, and future is true, (41).

Wax argues his case with reference to the text of both the Old and New Testaments, and he argues well. One particular strength arises from his short discussion of Jeremiah’s instruction to the exiles of Judah. Their time in which they lived gave them much anguish to process, and they bore the task of obeying their God in a way somewhat unique (48). One easily recognizes their obedience differs from our own in its applications to their lives. Wax has a notably (and unsurprisingly) thicker case for his thesis in the New Testament. He writes, “The church lives between the time of Christ’s first and second comings and, therefore, finds itself in the middle of an age to which it must not conform… believer’s obedience must be marked by the horizon of Christ’s second coming.” (55). Rejection of Christ bears eschatological consequences, and the the disciple sees himself not as obedient to a vague or timeless set of rules, but offering a life of obedience personally to Jesus (59).

As if the insights from Scripture did not constitute a worthy read in themselves, Wax provides analyses on three different rival eschatologies (Enlightenment, the sexual revolution, and consumerism) as well as three methods of discipleship often practiced within the evangelical church. I found myself jotting down numerous notes and insightful quotes, and his honest dissections of the rival eschatologies truly stand out as helpful. The chapter on consumerism might make the reader’s toes curl in conviction. Each method of discipleship he discusses proffer its own strengths, and Wax shares how adding an eschatological dimension to them makes each stronger as it seeks to help its adherents better reflect the image of Christ on earth.

Every Christian must answer the question, “What time is it?” The question has an array of applicable facets: how old am I? What kind of world do I inhabit? Has anything changed since I was younger? How am I living for Christ in a way which unequivocally points to him? Therefore, the book proves profitable for any Christian. Some may find themselves needing to move slowly through the book; my own reading certainly would have slowed had I not had seminary training. However, Wax defines his terms well, and one who will face the challenge of a book thick with content should have the ability to understand his arguments.

Wax notes his book has a North American audience. The book assumes the reader has familiarity with the culture of North America and evangelicalism. While many of his cultural insights would have some application outside a North American context, the reader in a place like Southeast Asia might find himself facing different competing eschatologies; however, Wax’s section discussing the Bible’s eschatological motivations for discipleship would remain fruitful, and attention paid to his method would equip the individual to develop his own analysis of his own context.

The reader of Eschatological Discipleship will find himself equipped to engage evangelistically with the world around him. Wax’s presentation elicits the urgent response to see the return of Christ as a goal and destination. He accomplishes the task without descending into sensationalism. On Wax’s account, Christians read the times to better show Christ rather than reading The Times to predict when exactly Christ will return to earth. The return of Jesus to judge the world merits everyone’s attention, for every competing worldview and its eschatologies will pass away. The Christian disciple proves the one who submits his life to Christ, numbering his days and understanding them, in the hope of revealing the Savior to his uniquely broken context. show less