Paleo-Orthodoxy

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Thomas Oden

Paleo-Orthodoxy is a Christian theological movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is not a formal, organized movement, but a theological viewpoint seeking to return what the supporters of the movement consider "classical Christianity". The term is derived from the roots "paleo" (meaning "ancient") and "orthodox" (meaning "correct belief"), so the name literally means "ancient correct belief". The movement relies to a great extent on patristic sources. Some associate it with contemporary American evangelicalism.

The giant of the movement is United Methodist Thomas C. Oden of Drew University, who has published a series of books not only calling for a return to "classical Christianity" but also provided the tools to do so. Oden, who apparently coined the term "paleo-orthodoxy", believes strongly 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.

Oden writes, "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). He uses the paleo prefix in the same way as the paleoconservatives and paleolibertarians, but he is not connected to either movement. Some critics disagree with Oden, saying that his "paleo-orthodoxy" is actually an updated form of neo-orthodoxy influenced by ecumenical neoconservatism, typified by the journal First Things.

Oden says his 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), which raises a tension over why the paleo prefix is necesessary.

Among Oden's works, either as writer or editor, in support of paleo-orthodoxy are:

Agenda for Theology, later re-published as After Modernity...What? (ISBN 0-310-75391-0)
the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series, which pieces together Biblical commentary from the Church's first millennium
the Classical Pastoral Care series
John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity: A Plain Exposition of His Teaching on Christian Doctrine (ISBN 0-310-75321-X)
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)
Systematic Theology (three volumes... The Living God, The Word of Life and Life in the Spirit...a trilogy which summarizes classical Christian thinking)

Oden was honored with a festschrift: 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).

Richard Foster

Besides him, other precursors of paleo-orthodoxy include Albert Outler, J. I. Packer, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Thomas F. Torrance.

Other theologians who could be said to work within the bounds of paleo-orthodoxy, deliberately or otherwise, include: Marva Dawn, Richard Foster, Alister McGrath, Andrew Purves and, to a lesser extent, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon.

Other books which reflect the paleo-orthodox mindset include:

The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy by Colleen Carroll (ISBN 0-8294-1645-5)
Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time by Marva Dawn (ISBN 0-8028-4102-3)
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster (ISBN 0-06-062839-1)
Devotional Classics by Richard Foster (ISBN 0-06-066966-7)
Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith by Richard Foster (ISBN 0-06-062822-7)
Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony by Stanley Hauerwas & William Willimon (ISBN 0-687-36159-1)
Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition by Andrew Purves (ISBN 0-664-22241-2)
The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible (ISBN 0-06-067108-4)

[edit] Calvinist paleo-orthodoxy

Another version of paleo-orthodoxy, led by Presbyterian David W. Hall in the 1990s, stresses Abraham Kuyper's Neo-Calvinism, social conservativism, and Reformed theology. It often involves criticisms of social democracy. Supporters endorse the verbal inerrancy and inspiration of the Christian Bible -- and tend to criticize thinkers like Oden, Hauerwas or McGrath as neo-orthodox and Foster as an Anabaptist pietist. They also reflect the influence of Packer, especially his studies on English Puritanism. Hall's works include Savior or Servant? (1996, ISBN 0-9650367-1-5) and The Arrogance of the Modern (1997, ISBN 0-9650367-4-X).