Conservative orthodoxy is a pretty broad category and the seven identity markers below are not universally held by everyone in the group, but they would most likely have strong affinity with those do hold to these identity markers. I would also say that how one holds them is important to identifying the group, but I can’t be too specific because I think these divisions are not very effective. Christianity Today is a magazine I would associate with the group, but even there we are starting to see things that would demonstrate the end of the Old World categories. [As an aside I would say that I have tons of friends I love, respect, and admire that fall into this category so don’t read these points as a dismissal of anyone and do feel free to offer suggestions or updates.]
1. The inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible as ultimate authority in all matters of faith and doctrine (often guaranteed through the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture);
2. The salvation of humanity through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross ‘for our sins,’ God’s way of personal salvation;
3. The affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ, anchored in the necessity of Jesus’ virginal conception in Mary;
4. The advocacy of biblical supernaturalism, the direct intervention of God in world processes through miracles;
5. An aggressive understanding of the mission of the church in terms of missions and evangelism, the primacy of individual salvation from sin;
6. A mood of resistance and reserve in the actual implementation of the tools of historical-critical interpretation of the Bible;
7. A major concern for personal Christian piety but a minimum concern for social ethics, especially ‘the social gospel.’