We may take pride in our orthodoxy and detest the pretensions of the gift of tongues, but, as Protestant bodies in general, we have operated the breeding grounds of Pentecostalism. The self-condemning truth may not be welcome. The Heresy of Formal Orthodoxy Those who are fiercely loyal to orthodox Protestantism should realize that sometimes formal orthodoxy is the worst of all heresies. The period that followed the Reformers was known as the period of orthodoxy. While it produced some good theology, it produced a dead church and made the reaction of Pietism inevitable.
Orthodoxy tends to confound correctness of belief and saving faith.
It confuses its statement of truth with the living Truth itself. Faith is directed to an orthodox body of doctrine more than to the person of Jesus Christ. Thus faith becomes intellectualized. This process happened in the early church after the apostles passed off the stage. It also happened after the generation of the Reformers.