Thomas C. Oden
Encyclopedia
Thomas Clark Oden is an American United Methodist
theologian and religious author associated with Drew University
in New Jersey
. He was born in Altus, Oklahoma
, and holds a Doctor of Literature from Asbury College
.
Oden is best known as a proponent of paleo-orthodoxy
, an approach to theology that often relies on patristic sources. He has published a series of books that he says are tools for promoting "classical Christianity." Oden suggests that Christians need to rely upon the wisdom of the historical Church, particularly the early Church, rather than on modern scholarship and theology, which is often, in his view, tainted by political agendas.
He has written, "The term paleo-orthodoxy is employed to make clear that we are not talking about neo-orthodoxy
. Paleo- becomes a necessary prefix only because the term orthodoxy has been preempted and to some degree tarnished by the modern tradition of neo-orthodoxy" (Requiem, p. 130).
Oden says his mission is "to begin to prepare the postmodern Christian community for its third millennium by returning again to the careful study and respectful following of the central tradition of classical Christianity" (After Modernity...What?, p. 34). Oden is also active in the Confessing Movement
in America, particularly within the United Methodist Church. He serves on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy
.
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
theologian and religious author associated with Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was born in Altus, Oklahoma
Altus, Oklahoma
Altus is a city in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County....
, and holds a Doctor of Literature from Asbury College
Asbury College
Asbury University, formerly Asbury College, is a Christian liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky. Although it is a nondenominational school, the college's foundation stems from a Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The school offers 50 majors across 17 departments. Primarily a four-year...
.
Oden is best known as a proponent of paleo-orthodoxy
Paleo-Orthodoxy
Paleo-orthodoxy is a broad Christian theological movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries which focuses on the consensual understanding of the faith among the Ecumenical Councils and Church Fathers...
, an approach to theology that often relies on patristic sources. He has published a series of books that he says are tools for promoting "classical Christianity." Oden suggests that Christians need to rely upon the wisdom of the historical Church, particularly the early Church, rather than on modern scholarship and theology, which is often, in his view, tainted by political agendas.
He has written, "The term paleo-orthodoxy is employed to make clear that we are not talking about neo-orthodoxy
Neo-orthodoxy
Neo-orthodoxy, in Europe also known as theology of crisis and dialectical theology,is an approach to theology in Protestantism that was developed in the aftermath of the First World War...
. Paleo- becomes a necessary prefix only because the term orthodoxy has been preempted and to some degree tarnished by the modern tradition of neo-orthodoxy" (Requiem, p. 130).
Oden says his mission is "to begin to prepare the postmodern Christian community for its third millennium by returning again to the careful study and respectful following of the central tradition of classical Christianity" (After Modernity...What?, p. 34). Oden is also active in the Confessing Movement
Confessing Movement
The Confessing Movement is an Evangelical movement within several mainline Protestant denominations to return those churches to what the members of the movement see as theological orthodoxy....
in America, particularly within the United Methodist Church. He serves on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy
Institute on Religion and Democracy
The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a Christian think tank that promotes Christian conservatism in public life. The organization comments on current events in the Christian community...
.
Works
- Agenda for Theology, later re-published as After Modernity...What? (ISBN 0-310-75391-0)
- Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series, which pieces together Biblical commentary from the Church's first millennium
- Care of Souls in the Classic Tradition
- Classical Pastoral Care series
- Vol. 1: Becoming A Minister (ISBN 0-8010-6763-4)
- Vol. 2: Ministry through Word and Sacrament (ISBN 0-8010-6764-2)
- Vol. 3: Pastoral Counsel (ISBN 0-8010-6765-0)
- Vol. 4: Crisis Ministries (ISBN 0-8010-6766-9)
- Doctrinal Standards in the Wesleyan Tradition (ISBN 0-310-75240-X)
- John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity: A Plain Exposition of His Teaching on Christian Doctrine (ISBN 0-310-75321-X)
- One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus (written with J. I. PackerJ. I. PackerJames Innell Packer is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia...
) (ISBN 0-8308-3239-4) - Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry (ISBN 0-06-066353-7)
- The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity (ISBN 0-06-009785-X)
- Requiem: A Lament in Three Movements (ISBN 0-687-01160-4)
- The Structure of Awareness (Standard Book #:687-40075-9)
- Systematic Theology (a three volume series)
- Vol. 1: The Living God (ISBN 0-06-066363-4)
- Vol. 2: The Word of Life (ISBN 0-06-066364-2)
- Vol. 3: Life in the Spirit (ISBN 0-06-066362-6)
- The Transforming Power of Grace (ISBN 0-687-42260-4)
- Ancient & Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-Orthodoxy in the 21st Century (Essays In Honor of Thomas C. Oden), edited by Christopher Hall and Kenneth Tanner (ISBN 0-8308-2654-8)