The neglected fact is that there are more classic Christian believers now than at any previous time in human history. Orthodoxy has been understood and espoused without diminution by ever-unfolding communities of faith for 200 generations. That steady stream of faithful consent has not dried up or faltered amid these times. It does not need to be improved upon by modernity but more so it needs to be preserved for the sake of the healthy rejuvenation of modern cultures.
The sustained and growing vitality of Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical worshipping communities around the world has not been reported by a press fixated on secular change. What's happening now for believers is a fresh recognition of the faithfulness of God that has endured over human history.
The challenges in North America that brought forth this book in 2003 have relevance now for readers especially in the global South, as well as in Europe, and in Eastern Christianity. Christians of the global South are presently passing through the fiery consequences of modern western consciousness that have accompanied the sad history of colonialism. Parts of the text that pertained primarily to the American situation have been displaced in the interest of showing the vitality of orthodoxy as a rising worldwide phenomenon. Since it is being offered digitally as well as in print, it will be more accessible to international readers than if it remained merely a North American topic.
The core confession has not diminished. The promise of the faithful Christian life not been altered. Believers everywhere can look around them and see that orthodoxy is persisting in liturgy, hymnody, and worshipping communities of prayer that are thriving in the midst of their own developing cultures. But many have not seen reasons set forth for why it will continue to persist into the future. This book will give these reasons clear expression.
The central event of this surprising story is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the promises of the prophets and apostles. Even though it may seem as if our efforts are failing, God the Spirit is tireless in bringing to fruition the work of God the Father through God the Son without coercing human freedom.
Many world-wide believers in their varied cultural situations have heard and understood the good news of God the Son who died for us and rose anew to give us new life.
But many have not yet recognized the beautiful ways in which providence is working amid human conflict toward greater ends than we can imagine.
The Spirit has been forming the one body of Christ worldwide for all of these centuries and is certain to continue. The Spirit continues to awaken an enduring community of free consent to the apostolic testimony that has lasted twenty centuries and persists in and beyond modern life.
Why has it been so durable? Why has it penetrated almost every human culture since the good news was first heard? This is what we are seeking to understand.
