Thomas Clark Oden (b. October 21, 1931) is an American Methodist theologian associated with Drew University in New Jersey and the Director of the Center for Early African Christianity. An ordained United Methodist Elder (pastor), he is perhaps most recently known for his call for a return to "classical Christianity" as exemplified in his After Modernity...What? (1992) and The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity (2002). Some see his efforts as resulting in a "Paleo-Orthodox movement" extending beyond Methodism. He has been important in the contemporary ecumenical movement and in evangelical circles. His influences include United Methodist theologian Albert C. Outler.
Oden adopted the term paleo-orthodoxy for his approach to theology. The term is derived from the roots "paleo" (meaning "ancient") and "orthodox" (meaning "correct belief"), so it essentially means "ancient correct belief". 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). Odens' name was further linked to the term "paleo-orthodoxy" and to the idea of the movement by the publication of Ancient & Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-Orthodoxy in the 21st Century: Essays In Honor of Thomas C. Oden (2002).
Oden believes that Christians need to rely upon the wisdom of the historic Church, particularly the early Church, rather than on modern scholarship and theology, which is often, in his view, tainted by political agendas. This is commendable though somewhat naive since political agendas can be found in the early church as well.
Oden's desire 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 himself has written that he hopes, "...to make no new contribution to theology" (Life in the Spirit, p. vii), preferring instead to recapture the spirit and authority of the patristic writers. Oden's work has been influential within the United Methodist Church and also positively received in the broader evangelical community.
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