So, what is orthodoxy and who decides? Vincent of Lérins (d c.450) once said, rather famously: Orthodoxy is "what has been believed always, everywhere, and by all." Is that even possible? Can all Christians believe the same thing always, everywhere?
Well, yes, they can-- at least when it comes to the essentials-- because discernment about Christianity's essentials happens in context of the Church, in accountability. The less unified the Church is about doctrinal issues, the more carefully we must examine them. Please understand: I'm not talking about my church, or your church, but The Church, the Church Universal.
If we too rigidly follow the doctrine "Sola Scriptura" (meaning "Scripture alone"), which came out of the Protestant Reformation, then we may be in danger of adopting an "all I need is me, my Bible, and the Holy Spirit" kind of discernment that bypasses the appropriate and hard-won accountability of the Church.
Ellen Koehler wrote me after our first discipleship session with this observation: "When challenging views brought debate and questioning, the leaders of the early Church took those points into consideration and debate, but what really came out of it was that, as the Truth emerged and was discerned, the Fathers had to be accountable to Apostolic teaching, Scripture, to the Holy Spirit, and to each other. It seems to me that this is a crucial aspect of why their authority is credible and spiritually dependable. Paul submitted his preaching to the Jerusalem church; the Fathers submitted their decisions concerning the creeds to Apostolic teaching, the direction of the Holy Spirit, to Scripture, and to the discernment of each other. And that's where the heresies fell short. Their submission point was only to their own interpretations of Scripture."
And so, as author Thomas Oden reminds us, "The Holy Spirit has a history" and we would do well to carefully consider how He moved in the lives of the saints before us who grappled with heresies and the truth of the Gospel message.
1 Timothy 3:16 says that "the church of the living God [is] the pillar and foundation of the truth." Let's be careful to avoid "private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20) and submit to the orthodoxy of the Church universal.
Meditating on the essentials,
Pastor Chris
Our discipleship course "Christianity: The Essentials" got off to a great start Sunday night and one the first topics we grappled with was this: 
Dearly beloved, relying on the armor of God, let us enter actively and fearlessly into the contest of faith. Then, in our struggle to fast, we won't rest satisfied, thinking that mere abstinence from food is desirable. For it isn't enough to lose body weight if our soul isn't developed as well. When the outer person is somewhat controlled, let the inner person be somewhat refreshed. And when we deny bodily excess to our flesh, let our minds be invigorated by spiritual delights. Let Christians severely scrutinize themselves and search deep in their hearts. No anger should cling there, no wrong desire should be harbored. Let purity drive weakness far away. Let the light of truth drive away the shadows of deception. Let the swelling of pride subside. Let wrath yield to reason. Let the darts of cruelty be shattered and the chidings of the tongue be bridled. Let thoughts of revenge fall through and pain be wiped out. Let "every plant which the heavenly Father hath not planted be removed by the roots." For only when every foreign bud is uprooted from the field of wheat will the seeds of righteousness be well nourished in us. 
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