Orthodoxy

"There is nothing unorthodox about what is in the Bible."
- Grady Hancock

My grandfather spoke these words when I called him years ago to explain that I was mailing him a handkerchief that my church had anointed with oil when we had prayed for him to be healed. I explained that it might seem unorthodox to him, but that the book of James taught anointing with oil when praying for the sick, and the book of Acts mentioned that Paul had sent handkerchiefs to sick people he couldn’t visit and they were made well. While the Bible didn’t specifically teach us to send handkerchiefs to sick people 1,500 miles away, it didn’t say we couldn’t follow Paul’s example either.

My grandfather’s response – a lifelong Lutheran – was immediate and firm. “There is nothing unorthodox about what is in the Bible.”

These words by my grandfather have been burned into my memory. They serve as both confirmation and guide to my approach to living the spiritual life. I need not apologize for believing or obeying the Bible. The Word of God trumps any doctrine, theology or creed. They bow to the Bible, not the other way around.

The words of my grandfather have rung in my ears afresh over the past two years, as God has shown me powerful things in his Word that conflict with our church culture and theology. They have helped give me the strength to believe God, even in the face of opposition from the household of faith.