Had a great convo w/ a friend in local church ministry yesterday. Still mulling over a comment she made:

Orthodoxy is a means to an end, not the end itself.

It struck me b/c it's difficult to overestimate the gulf btwn those who pursue orthodoxy as an end & those who see it as the means. But this difference is often obscured when the most important thing is aligning around an orthodox position.

IOW, while holding orthodoxy is essential, it's not sufficient. It's not enough to hold the correct position on an issue. And when holding the orthodox position becomes the goal, you'll missed the whole point.

The point of orthodoxy or right theology is to live as we were made to live. The point of orthodoxy is to bring us into communion w/ God & others. It is to teach us how to love our Creator & our neighbors as ourselves.

But when orthodoxy becomes an end in itself, it's far too easy to hold a position w/out pursuing these larger goals. It's far too easy to assure ourselves that we're "right" b/c we hold the "right" position.

Correspondingly, when a certain position becomes the goal & standard of righteousness, we'll have *zero* incentive to entertain challenges, consider questions, or have an ounce of self-awareness about the position we hold. It is enough to hold the position.

The beauty of truth is that is brings life. It brings healing. It brings wholeness. The beauty of truth is that is reconciles us to God & each other. That's the goal of orthodoxy. That's the goal of teaching.

And b/c this *goal* is so important, we must cling to truth. We must proclaim it as life & health & peace. We must offer it as the good news that it truly is.

But by the same token, we must not practice that sleight of hand that holds out a certain position as the goal & then brooks any challenge to it. Especially if we can't convincingly show how our position leads to the life of flourishing that orthodoxy promises.

When I hear the phrase "beautiful orthodoxy," I understand it to mean 2 things:

Truth itself is beautiful & compelling (even if hard).
Truth will make my life beautiful & whole (even if hard).

In conclusion (*ahem*), holding orthodox positions is not enough b/c this is not the goal of orthodoxy. The goal is shalom, truly reconciling us to God & others. A goal that far supersedes all our myopic clambering to be "right" about a particular issue.