First published 2/27/23 Updated 2/15/2025

Why I’m Seeking a Faith Anchored in Tradition

For most of my adult life, I found belonging in non-denominational churches. I’m grateful for the passion, community, and genuine hunger for God that shaped my early faith. Those communities offered me a starting point - a place where I first learned to walk with Christ. But over time, a deeper longing began to stir in me: a longing for something more rooted, more enduring, and less vulnerable to the shifting winds of culture.

That realization has reshaped my journey. I’ve come to believe that Christianity flourishes when rooted in tradition, historical authority, and sacred accountability - anchors that safeguard truth and nurture enduring faith communities.

The Drift I Couldn’t Ignore

If you're alone you drift, you drift, you know, and you'll drift in the direction of your biggest weakness. View Video

Jordan Peterson

As years went by, I witnessed a recurring pattern: churches that began with vibrant energy slowly drifting from their original mission. Leadership failures, theological confusion, and a gradual prioritization of cultural relevance over spiritual depth became more common than I wanted to admit. It wasn’t always dramatic - it was often a slow drift. But over time, it left too many communities fractured and too many people disillusioned.

During a season of stepping away from church altogether, I realized something else: left alone, my own faith started to drift too. Without deep roots, even my best intentions weren’t enough to hold me steady. That awareness opened my heart to explore whether the church traditions I had once overlooked - traditions that emphasized continuity, structure, and reverence - might actually be the very things needed to preserve faith over the long haul.

A great book on this is Set Adrift, which explores this topic in depth. It helped understand the roots of that term and that deconstruction was not my goal, but rather a refining or reformation of my faith. It also helped me reflect on how much of modern faith expression is shaped by shifting cultural norms rather than historical continuity.

Discovering Tradition, Liturgy, and Continuity

My search led me to church history - first out of curiosity, then out of necessity. As I read the writings of the early Church Fathers and studied the historical practices of worship, I realized how much I had taken for granted. Liturgy, sacraments, structured confession and prayer - all these things I had once dismissed as “empty ritual” revealed themselves as acts of deep formation, not just performance.

Instead of chasing relevancy, historic forms of worship invite believers into something stable and enduring. They connect us to the sacred, to each other, and to a faith that is not reinvented with every new generation, but preserved and handed down with care. I discovered that worship isn’t about creating an emotional high; it’s about entering into the story of redemption that has been unfolding across centuries.

The Beauty and Necessity of Authority

In studying church history, I also began to understand the role of authority - not as something to fear, but as something meant to protect the church from fragmentation.

Without accountability beyond the charisma of a single leader or the shifting preferences of a local congregation, churches become vulnerable to drift, division, and even harm.

Strong, rooted authority structures - like those found in Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and historic Protestantism - aren’t perfect, but they offer necessary guardrails against the darker tendencies of human nature.

Just as the founders of American democracy built checks and balances into government because they understood the dangers of unchecked power, the historical church built structures to guard doctrine, preserve unity, and keep faith communities centered on Christ rather than individual personalities or cultural trends.

Moving Toward Deeper Roots

I haven’t arrived at a final destination yet. I’m still exploring what it means to be part of a tradition that values both scripture and the continuity of historical wisdom. I find myself drawn to the richness of Catholic liturgy, the doctrinal clarity of Lutheranism, the ancient practices preserved in Orthodoxy.

I don’t feel rushed to declare an absolute conclusion - because the journey itself has been part of my formation. What I know is this: I want to root myself in a faith that isn’t built on my personal preferences or the cultural mood of the moment, but on something tested, beautiful, and enduring.

A Faith That Can Endure

Other resources:

• Here is another video on this topic from Gospel Simplicity - I Was WRONG about Tradition (and you might be too)
• Sips with Serra does a review of another video Ruslan Asks Pastor Why Protestants are Going Catholic the line that stood out here was in reference to seeker friendly churches "you shouldn't feel like you're hearing a sales pitch when you're going to church that's terrible but often times that is what it feels like"
• I highly recommend these Channels:
  • Dr. Jordan B Cooper: Theology, Philosophy, and Culture.
  • Truth Unites exists to promote gospel assurance through theological depth. Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is President of Truth Unites and Theologian-in-Residence at Immanuel Church.