This review might not begin how most reviews begin but let me tell you something about my appetite. I really like food. I like to eat. One time, at a church a long time ago, I was giving a testimony about a mission’s trip I was on. In that testimony, I mentioned my “two favorite four letter F words”, and before I went on, a momentary pause nearly gave one of the pastors a heart attack. I finished by saying, “Free food!” I got a good laugh, and it’s still true to this day. My second favorite word to follow the word “Free” is books. So, when I found out that I could get a book for (sort of) free by pre-ordering it and then getting an advanced copy, I was down with that. And even better, it’s a theology book! A free theology book! Probably my favorite one-, four-, eight-, and four-letter word combinations ever! This insatiable love of books ultimately led me to an incredibly edifying and encouraging month, one of the best months I have had in a long time.
To say that Trevin Wax’s The Thrill of Orthodoxy is a masterpiece for this day and time would be an understatement. I began looking for a free theology book to read, but God (I love those two words side-by-side) had other plans. This book not only has given me a fresh look on the living faith that is Orthodox Christianity, but God has also used it to begin to lift me out of a doldrum of time in my walk with Christ. One of my passions is to see believers, professing followers of Jesus Christ, find joy in applying their faith to their everyday lives. Trevin Wax makes that very case from Biblical and Historical theological perspectives in The Thrill of Orthodoxy.
One of the most moving chapters in The Thrill of Orthodoxy is the one Christians see played out regularly within the church: Theological drift. In the second chapter, Trevin wax uses the illustration of going to the beach and walking out into the ocean to explain the subtly, yet efficiency, of a slow and steady drift away from orthodoxy.
“If you’ve ever been to the beach and ventured out into the water for a while, to look for fish or kick back on a float, you’ve probably experienced the surprise of looking back at the shore and seeing your stuff gone. Your beach chair, umbrella, towels – someone moved them!
Except, of course, they’re still right where you left them. It’s you who moved.” (Wax, p.20) (Emphasis mine).
Here, Trevin explains the slow drift away from orthodoxy when, as he wrote in the opening words of chapter one, “The church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow.” (Wax, p.1). When the old, orthodox truths of Christianity no longer wow us, we begin to wade out into the waters of other things, only to find ourselves far down the beach from where we began, from where we first planted our feet in the sands.
The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith is a book for all believers, newly converted to weathered spiritual veteran. If you find yourself drifting aimlessly in your walk with Christ, just as I was, Trevin Wax’s words will, Lord willing, help bring you back to God’s Word, the Bible, refreshed and ready to rediscover the true adventure of your faith in Christ.
So, this really is a book I want to give to all my friends. Well, really, to everyone I know. Christians and non-Christians alike. I want to give it to the high school senior daughter of good friends I know, members of a church I love, my current pastors and their spouses, and so many more. While I am not completely out of the rut of faith I was experiencing, I am well on my way, encouraged and edified after having been kicked in the butt to go back to finding The Thrill of Orthodoxy in this statement, “The beating heart of orthodoxy, the thrill of a living faith, is not in adaptation, but application.” (Wax, p.175). Application. As Paul wrote it, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” (Phil. 2:12b). In other words, Paul is calling us to apply the salvation, the Gospel, the Good New of the Person and work of Jesus Christ, to our lives. And not just on Sunday mornings at corporate worship.
I encourage you, if you are a believer, read this book. If you are a pastor, parent, teacher, preacher…this book is a worthwhile read and encouragement for your walk with Christ. And, when you’re done reading it, if you read a physical copy, pass it along. Or when you buy your copy, buy two and read it with a friend. Hey! Christmas is right around the corner… *wink wink*!
I know this sounds like a total fanboy reaction to a new book. Sure, I did get an advanced copy of this to read over the month of October, leading to its release on October 25th. This is an amazing book. Honestly, the only annoying thing to me about The Thrill of Orthodoxy is endnotes. Seriously? I prefer footnotes so I can highlight them as I read. But, then again, I pre-ordered the Logos Bible Software edition, so… You’re always going to find nay sayers about books, and I’m sure that some people will bring up valid points of criticism. “Trevin didn’t use enough Scripture!” (Did you read the endnotes? The appendices? The awesome reference tables regarding The Apostles Creed and The Athanasian Creed in chapter 1 (p.13-19)?)
In all reality, this sounds like a fanboy review of a book because I really am a fanboy of The Thrill of Orthodoxy. I know it doesn’t replace Scripture, but sometimes wise words from someone more wise than yourself can really be used as a stepping stone, a spring-board, if you will, to help propel you back to where you need to be: the beating heart of Orthodox Christianity.
You can buy/preorder The Thrill of Orthodoxy from these links at various booksellers:
Note: I was given a free copy of The Thrill of Orthodoxy by the author/publisher for the purpose of reading, discussing, and reviewing the book.
There are mountains more that I desire to write about regarding Trevin Wax and The Thrill of Orthodoxy, but I am not in a position to do so for two reasons. First, I do not have the time nor energy to do so right now. Second, I would get sued (possibly) for opening my digital copy, doing select-all, then hitting paste right into a blog post of the ENTIRE BOOK.
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