Humble Orthodoxy by Joshua Harris

                  

                  Perhaps you, like many others, have met your fair share of Christians who are incredibly educated when it comes to the truth of the scriptures, but can be rather irritating in how they present that knowledge to others. But, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you may also have encountered those who are kind and gentle believers, but who have the most non-traditional, not to mention non-scriptural, viewpoints about God and the Bible as a person could ever imagine existing. And, thus, we discover that we are not alone in recognizing these contradictions, when we delve into the contents of author Joshua Harris' book Humble Orthodoxy.
                   Joshua Harris is the Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is a seasoned speaker, author and church leader. But, in serving God for many years, he has noticed the same behavior patterns in believers that I pointed out in the opening paragraph. And his attention to this dilemma and the encouragement of other Godly leaders led him to the development of the book, Humble Orthodoxy, which addresses both humility and orthodoxy in belief.
                   The book is relatively small and simple to read. Someone could easily finish it in a little over an hour. The author stresses throughout the work that there is a need not just for one or the other of the choice between humility and orthodoxy, but that it is possible to exhibit both traits as Christians, and that it is actually the desire of the Lord that we would have both operating consistently in our lives. He goes on to address how we can and should cultivate both aspects of living and even gives examples of those he has observed who have been good and bad examples in each area.
                   Undoubtedly, the subject matter in this work is needed for all believers. However, I did find the book to be a little bit repetitious in it's emphasis, even for it's short length. Each of the two topics could easily have been a book of their own. Yet, when combined together, it appeared to this reader that the point of the book was driven home early in the work, and the remainder of the book continued to pound the same nail that was solidly fastened in place already. But, that may also have been very intentional, to reinforce the concepts already presented so that the subject could be fully understood.
                   Is the material in the book needed? Absolutely. Should you read it? Certainly. I received this book for free from "Water Brook/Multnomah Publishing Group" for this review.  You may read an excerpt at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2013/01/08/sneak-peek-humble-orthodoxy-by-joshua-harris/.