Jun 17, 2026 · 30 min · 11 segments
In this episode, Kip and Steve explore the history, meaning, and controversy surrounding the phrase 'lex orandi, lex credendi'. Tracing its origins and historical context, they examine common…
Steve ZankHost
Kip FoxHost
And in Latin, the verb est is is, that's is, can be omitted and it still be a sentence.
So lex arandi, lex credendi est would be kind of what's implied, which is then lex arandi is lex credendi.
And then Arandi is taken much more widely, not just prayer, but it's often interpreted like the law of worship or all of our practices or liturgy.
And really because of how popular the phrase is, I think anyone who treats the topic of doctrine and practice and how they relate has to start with Lex Irani Les Credendi and account for it and understand it and what it's doing.
And it reminds me of a book by Nancy Cartwright where the title of it is something to do with the laws of physics lie or how the laws of physics lie.
And you think about laws of physics, what you find is our understanding of how the world works has changed over time based upon the best models we have available to us.
Like if you go 90 into 65, you're going to be arrested, like an authority, law as an authority.
But really we're talking about the relationship between doctrine and practice, right? the way we use the term law, lex orion, lex credendi, what we're really getting at is what's the best way to describe this relationship? And we have to ask ourselves, especially given how this phrase is everywhere.
It shows up in every single liturgical text about this relationship between doctrine and practice, that we listen to these scholars like de Klerk and Van Slyke who are suggesting that it might be more confusing.
And in Latin, the verb est is is, that's is, can be omitted and it still be a sentence.
So lex arandi, lex credendi est would be kind of what's implied, which is then lex arandi is lex credendi.
And then Arandi is taken much more widely, not just prayer, but it's often interpreted like the law of worship or all of our practices or liturgy.
And really because of how popular the phrase is, I think anyone who treats the topic of doctrine and practice and how they relate has to start with Lex Irani Les Credendi and account for it and understand it and what it's doing.
And it reminds me of a book by Nancy Cartwright where the title of it is something to do with the laws of physics lie or how the laws of physics lie.
And you think about laws of physics, what you find is our understanding of how the world works has changed over time based upon the best models we have available to us.
Like if you go 90 into 65, you're going to be arrested, like an authority, law as an authority.
But really we're talking about the relationship between doctrine and practice, right? the way we use the term law, lex orion, lex credendi, what we're really getting at is what's the best way to describe this relationship? And we have to ask ourselves, especially given how this phrase is everywhere.
It shows up in every single liturgical text about this relationship between doctrine and practice, that we listen to these scholars like de Klerk and Van Slyke who are suggesting that it might be more confusing.
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