The Problem of Orthodoxy: Evangelicals at the Crossroads of Truth and Power

by Michael Blanco, Jeffrey Lyon (Foreword by)

Overview

The Problem of Orthodoxy: Evangelicals at the Crossroads of Truth and Power reexamines Christian orthodoxy, especially contemporary evangelicalism in the United States, from the standpoint of structure instead of content. Rather than focus on which Christian doctrines are “correct”, Michael Blanco explores how orthodoxy functions to invite, cajole, warn, demonize, and perpetrate violence against those who are within and without its circle. The author is particularly interested in the nexus of power and orthodoxy, including violence, and many of his examples also touch on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). To the degree that orthodoxy acts to coerce viewpoints and actions, especially over doctrinal and moral peccadilloes, this fact constitutes “the problem of orthodoxy.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666962604
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	07/08/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	299 KB

About the Author

Michael Blanco is the senior director of diversity and inclusion operations at Michigan Technological University.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Jeffrey Lyon
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Problem of Orthodoxy
Chapter 2: The Landscape of Orthodoxy
Chapter 3: Crosscurrents to Orthodoxy
Chapter 4: Theology Considered
Chapter 5: The Legacy of Orthodoxy
Chapter 6: Counternarratives to Orthodoxy
Conclusion and Reflections
Bibliography
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

In The Problem of Orthodoxy, Blanco acknowledges that orthodoxy can be a useful “guardrail” but, throughout history, has also produced conflict, division, and violence in the name of righteous causes. The European wars of religion after the Reformation are one of the worst examples of the problem of orthodoxy. However, the author focuses on an examination of the structure of orthodoxy rather than just the content of belief. Structure includes group identity, tethering of opponents, and the use of control and power. For example, the structure of American racism prevailed as the specific content varied over time from slavery to the Black Codes to Jim Crow. Examples of Evangelical orthodoxies in conflict include creationism versus theistic evolution and the rapid shift in the 1970s from political withdrawal to the activism of Jerry Falwell. Because orthodoxy rests more on culture than evidence, in the recent culture wars Evangelicals have tolerated Donald Trump and joined the political fight against progressives. To correct the problem of orthodoxy, the author calls for critical thinking skills and Christian faith seasoned by love and humility. Recommended. Graduate students through faculty; professionals.

Choice Reviews

As an indigenous Missiologist and member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi tribe, I look at everything with questions. So much of the missions among the indigenous peoples has been dominated by one cultural perspective for far too long. It is not so much the problem of Orthodoxy but the issue of whose orthodoxy are we speaking of. Michael Blanco’s The Problem of Orthodoxy: Evangelicals at the Crossroads of Truth and Power should be a must read for anyone struggling with the powers in their denominational circles controlling the way we must approach indigenous theology, missions, and ecclesiology.

Casey Church