The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith

This is a book about the boundaries of Christian faith. In it, Wax (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; The Multi-Directional Leader) attempts an amicable tone as he enumerates the perceived benefits and necessity of an orthodox formulation of Christianity aligned with the consensus of the ancient church. While there is some talk about the breadth of orthodoxy and room for unresolved arguments, as the contours of this orthodoxy come into greater focus, the truth that Wax claims to have discovered and not invented reflects his own conservative, evangelical position. The Christians left on the outside are those who would disagree on such issues as gender, sexuality, and the eternal stakes of hell. Though the creeds and church history are shuffled onstage to support his position, this is not a careful, nuanced study of the diversity and dissonance in the Christian tradition. It is more an appeal to a mythical consensus for the purpose of shoring up self-definitions.