Orthocardia

Why is it so important? Because I think it explains a lot of the polarization between America’s Democratic Progressive Christians on the political left and the country’s Republican MAGA-Trumpers Christians on the right. And it hints that I think may be a path to reconciliation.

French’s article includes these four paragraphs:

(Consider) three related concepts, each captured in a single word. The first two words might be familiar to some of you; certainly, the first one will be. Orthodoxy is the term for the traditional beliefs in any given religious tradition. Orthopraxy refers to righteous conduct.

The final word, however, is arguably the most important, even if it is easily the most obscure. I first heard of orthocardia in a Sunday school lesson taught by Josh Strahan, a professor of biblical interpretation and the New Testament at Lipscomb University, where I teach.

Orthocardia means what it sounds like — “having a right heart.” In essence, it means that our beliefs and behaviors flow from our heart — and that a right posture toward God and man both makes us eager to learn God’s truth (driving us toward orthodoxy) and eager to love our neighbor (pointing us to orthopraxy).

Or, as Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Notice the link in the third paragraph in italics above that points to another article by Shiao Chong in “The Banner.” It includes the following analogy:

Your heart is like your spiritual compass, for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21, also in Luke 12:34, and somewhat in Colossians 3:1-3). Wherever your heart points affects the other dimensions of your spirituality—your beliefs and behaviors. The triune God is our true north. Only when we love God with all our hearts will our hearts be rightly aligned and rightly influence our beliefs and our behaviors.

But have we unwittingly allowed other things to distract our hearts away from God? Our hearts can be pulled by the magnetic attraction of other things—even good things. For example, we can love God’s truth more than the God of truth. We can love God’s justice more than the God of justice. We can love God’s church more than God. We can love a right cause—whether it’s being pro-life or anti-racist—more than God. Have our hearts loved the gifts more than the Giver? As such, are our orthodoxy and orthopraxy distorted, overemphasizing certain beliefs and behaviors and underemphasizing others? Are we polarized because our hearts aren’t properly aligned?

I think David French and Shiao Chong are onto something: the MAGA-Trump Christian right tends to lift orthopraxy above the others; the Progressive Christian left tends to lift orthopraxis above the others. Both extremes are over-focusing on different aspects of God’s call. It’s time for both to 

• Recognize the validity of the other’s concerns, 

• Repent of demonizing the other,

• And prioritize orthocardia above the other two.

– Tim Isbell

Note: The article, "James Talarico is a Christian X-Ray," appeared in the NYT on March 8, 2026