"I Didn't Move; You Did" (#21) Three "Hot Button" Case Studies Through The Lenses Of Orthodoxy, Orthopathy, and Orthopraxy

I’ve had lots of time to think, pray, and study while I have been on a sabbatical the past five months. During that time - and as I have been writing my series on leaving evangelicalism - I have been thinking about the Big Three in the Christian life:  Orthodoxy (right belief), orthopathy (right emotion), and orthopraxy (righteous actions).

Orthodoxy: Have righteous thoughts and right beliefs.

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12)

 "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

There were some necessary truths that writers in the Old Testament revealed, Jesus taught and lived himself, and that the New Testament writers built upon. It address life in a pretty wholistic (though not exhaustive) way. Sometimes, the Bible affirms what people already believed to be true. Other times it offered correction. (See Acts 17 for an example of how Paul does both in one speech.)

For the sake of brevity, let's look at just the example of how biblical writers differentiated God (as revealed in Jesus) from, say Baal or Molech. This is not an exhaustive list by any means.

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-9)

"And [God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'” (Exodus 34:5-7) [1]

"God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (1 Corinthians 14:33)

If you want more detail, there are several places in the Bible that we can think of as early creeds, statements of faith. [2] As church history unfolds, we see longer and longer creeds emerge as people are trying to keep guide rails on true belief, but we get the basics in Scripture.

And then, of course, there is the life of Jesus as recorded in the gospels, in whom me get the most accurate and complete revelation of Jesus. From this revelation, we are taught what orthopathy and orthopraxy look like for followers of Jesus.

Orthopathy: righteous emotions

Jesus didn't merely teach ideas. He shaped emotions and  loves.

• Matthew 9 - He had compassion.
• Mark 3 - He was angry and grieved.
• Luke 19 - He wept over Jerusalem.
• Matthew 26 - He experienced sorrow.
• Mark 11 - Jesus showed righteous indignation.

This isn't important simply because Jesus showed emotion. It revealed a heart that had rightly ordered emotions that were appropriate for the situation. This, then, gives is a model to follow. So, we read passages like this:

•  "Rejoice with those who rejoice...weep with those who weep." (Romans 12)
• “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:7-8)

HELPS Word Studies gives us a helpful explanation of what is meant by the “affection” of Jesus. 

“Properly, the internal organs ("viscera"); (figuratively) "gut-level compassion" (visceral feelings); the capacity to feel deep emotions (sympathy, empathy, etc.).

Following Jesus isn’t going to be just mental agreement with God’s truth. It’s going to put deep emotions into our gut that are meant to represent the affections of Jesus, in which we have rightly ordered emotions appropriate to the situation. 

When we hear about abortion (both the child and the mother), prisoners, victims of war, addicts, refugees and immigrants (and citizens), fellow Christians (and people of different faiths and worldviews), victims of discrimination or abuse (and the perpetrators), the poor (and the wealthy), our political enemies....

What do we feel in our gut? And is it something Jesus would feel? Notice we are not talking yet about what actions should follow. We aren’t there yet. We are just asking if we have the same affection for people that Jesus has. 

Orthopraxy (righteous actions)

What are we to do? 

• James 2 tells us that faith without works is dead.
• Micah 6 reminds us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
• Isaiah 1:17 (after rejecting their sacrifices) -  “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."
• Isaiah 58 (after rejecting their fasts) - “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard."
• Jeremiah 22 - “This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’…He did what was right and just,  so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord."

Jesus not only modeled what this looks like, but also told multiple parables in which he echoed the prophets. Matthew 25 reminds us to feed, visit, clothe "the least of these" - basically, to care for all people in need. Luke 10 gives us the parable of the Good Samaritan that reminds us that the neighbor we are to care for is, well, everybody.

* * * * *

Whenever Christians discuss difficult issues today, there are three different questions that must be answered

• What is true about this issue? (orthodoxy)
• What kind of heart response best reflects Jesus? (orthopathy)
• What actions best embody the way of the Kingdom? (orthopraxy)

Only after wrestling with those questions should we begin discussing public policy. 

This "I Didn't Move; You Did" series has focused specifically on the shift that I have seen in evangelical orthopraxy in my lifetime (at least as experienced in my evangelical circle). The orthodoxy has remained relatively stable. The orthopathy? That's harder to quantify, though it seems reasonable to conclude that actions reflect the priorities of the heart and the head.

I would like to offer a way to think about some of the issues I addressed that considers all three "orthos." Let’s not talk about political "hot button" issues without looking to the mind, the heart, and the hands of Jesus to navigate the tension between the ways of the Kingdom and the ways of the Empire. 

Take the issue of refugees and immigrants.

• Orthodoxy: What does Scripture reveal about a) the imago dei in everyone, and b) a response that considers the biblical teaching on how to act toward foreigners and strangers while considering the importance of caring for those already here?
• Orthopathy: What is the proper gut-level emotion God's people should feel if they want to have the heart of Jesus?
• Orthopraxy: What actions/response honor both justice and mercy (to quote Micah) and is ordered by love for all?

I hope we can agree that the Bible clearly commands hospitality toward foreigners and strangers. I hope we can also agree that it doesn't prescribe a "one size fits all" immigration system. We see principles reflected in how God's people responded in the Old Testament, but surely there is room for Christians to disagree over things that weren't part of their world: border walls, visas, quotas, asylum procedures, etc. 

However, Christians are going to look at both citizens and immigrants and ask big questions about what justice and mercy looks like for all when ordered by love. The actions we do or support should happen after we have aligned our head and our heart with Jesus, so that what we choose as a response is going to look like the response of Jesus. 

James Bell, a pastor I follow on Substack, has some good words here:

Immigration is not primarily asking whether an immigrant is valuable. Of course the immigrant is valuable. The question is how a nation orders borders, citizenship, legal entry, asylum, security, labor markets, public resources, and enforcement while still honoring the dignity of every person involved.

That is a prudential question shaped by moral principles. The mistake would be to say that because immigration involves prudence, morality is irrelevant. It is not.

A policy can be legal and still be cruel. An enforcement method can be lawful and still be disproportionate. A government can have the right to remove someone and still have a moral obligation regarding how that person is treated.

That is not inconsistency. That is moral reasoning.

Let’s look at the issue of abortion (both the child and the mother).

• Orthodoxy: What does Scripture reveal about the imago dei in everyone, the sacredness of human life, and protection of the innocent and vulnerable?
• Orthopathy: How should we feel about what might happen to unborn children......and what is the heart of Jesus for frightened, overwhelmed mothers who believe this is their only option?
• Orthopraxy: What actions honor both justice and mercy ordered by love? 

The Judaism of Jesus' time did not engage in abortion; early church documents such as the Didache record how important it was to care for unborn (and the abandoned babies the Romans set out to die).

It doesn't tell the Congress of a democratic republic exactly how legislation should be written, but surely there are ways to care for unborn babies and their mothers. There are lots of ways to do this. Protect life legislatively. Support adoption. Support mothers practically, with provisions and access to medical care. Build social safety nets to help financially overwhelmed parents. Promote programs and policies that focus on caring for children. 

I have seen Christians support all of these options at one time or another. Whatever the focus, the actions we do or support should happen after we have aligned our head and our heart with Jesus, so that what we choose as a response is going to look like the response of Jesus. The Legacy Coalition offers some good words:

It is important to understand that this decision [to abort] was rarely made when someone was well-informed, well-resourced, and felt emotionally and financially prepared to bring a new life into the world. Rather, the choice to abort was usually made during a time of crisis, in a state of confusion and fear. Therefore, the Christian response to abortion should reflect the love, compassion, empathy, and guidance of Jesus Christ as He sought to heal people through His unconditional love.

What about caring for the poor?

• Orthodoxy: The gospel is repeatedly described as good news to the poor (Jesus, in Luke 4:18, quoting Isaiah 61:1). Something is going to change when followers of Jesus are present, and the poor will like it. 
• Orthopathy: What is the Christ-like stance of our hearts when we see poverty around us? 
• Orthopraxy:   “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another“How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 John 3:16–18) In Ezekiel 16:49, neglect of the poor is part of Sodom's sin. “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”

The Bible clearly commands care for the poor. It doesn't specify a single economic model or propose legislation for 21st century countries. We do, however, get insight when we read how Israel in the Old Testament crafted laws to eliminate generational poverty, and we see the generosity of the early church in addressing poverty around them. We learn from that and then try to apply it in our context. 

Christians may debate tax policy, or the ways and means poverty is addressed in individuals and communities, and what it looks like to steward the resources we have wisely so we don’t start to enable poverty instead of eradicate it.  But that will happen after we agree that God cares deeply about the poor and commands their care; this calls us to care for them also and participate in their care.

  *  * * * * *

The goal of the church is not to make Republicans more Republican, Democrats more Democrat, or Libertarians more Libertarian. The goal of the church is to make disciples more like Jesus.

 For every issue, every headline, every election, every controversy, every policy, we must start grounded in our faith. What does Jesus teach me to believe? How does Jesus teach me to love? What does Jesus teach me to do?

How many public debates jump straight to action ("What law should we pass?") without asking what's in the heart and mind of Jesus on this issue. Only then do we ask how we should vote, or what we should advocate for, or what we believe we should speak up about.

No politician, party, platform or policy is lord of the Christian. Jesus is. We start and finish with Jesus. And if where we land causes us to do or support something Jesus would not do or support, we are going to need to rebuild until who we are and what we do looks like Jesus.

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[1] Note: These verses were often presented to me with the last part - the part about judgment - highlighted. In reality, this is a contrast between God's compassion and God's judgment: a ratio of 1,000 to 3. If you are looking for an overwhelmingly predominant aspect of God's love in this passage, it's compassion and mercy. When Micah commanded God's people to do justice but to love mercy - and not the other way around - he was telling them to be like Yahweh.

[2] “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it….The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-14, excerpted)

"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)

“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”(1 Corinthians 8:6)

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 14:1-3)