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Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. He was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at
Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...
in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. He remained faculty emeritus until his death.


Life

Oden was born on October 21, 1931 in
Altus Altus or ALTUS may refer to: Music *Alto, a musical term meaning second highest musical or vocal type * Altus (voice type), a vocal type also known as countertenor Places * Altus, Arkansas, US **Altus AVA, a wine-growing region near Altus, Arka ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, the son of an attorney and music teacher. As a youth, he considered two vocations: lawyer or
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
minister. At age ten, Oden's family moved to Oklahoma City. After the Second World War, Oden returned to Altus and high school where he began his vocation of writing and speaking. Oden earned a BA degree from the
University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , p ...
(1953), a BD from
Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...
(1956), and his MA (1958) and PhD from
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
(1960). He married Edrita Pokorny on August 10, 1952. They had three children: Clark, Edward, and Laura. Oden lectured at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
,
Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...
, Heidelberg University,
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly o ...
,
Lomonosov University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
, and the
Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...
, in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
.


Theology

Originally a political and theological liberal, he turned to the patristic writings in the early 1970s under the influence of a Jewish colleague,
Will Herberg William Herberg (June 30, 1901 – March 26, 1977) was an American writer, intellectual and scholar. A communist political activist during his early years, Herberg gained wider public recognition as a social philosopher and sociologist of relig ...
, and discovered what he described as "ecumenical orthodoxy", the interpretation of the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
and apostolic doctrine which is universal and accepted. As he wrote in the preface of his ''Systematic Theology'': "My basic goal is to present an orderly view of the faith of the Christian community, on which there has generally been a substantial agreement between the traditions of the East and the West, including Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy." Oden became a proponent of
paleo-orthodoxy Paleo-orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek παλαιός "ancient" and Koine Greek ὀρθοδοξία "correct belief") is a Protestant Christian theological movement in the United States which emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and w ...
, an approach to theology that often relies on patristic sources. He published a series of books that he said are tools for promoting "classical Christianity". Oden suggested 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 said that his mission was "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." Oden was active in the
Confessing Movement The Confessing Movement is a largely lay-led theologically conservative Christian movement that opposes the influence of theological liberalism and theological progressivism within several mainline Protestant denominations and seeks to retu ...
in America, particularly within the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
, and he served on the board of the
Institute on Religion and Democracy The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is an American Christian conservative think tank that promotes its views among mainline Protestant churches, as well as advocating for its values in the public square. Its critics claim that it has bee ...
. Dean
Timothy George Timothy George (born 9 January 1950) is an American theologian and journalist. He became the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at the school's inception in 1988 and was the dean from 1989–2019, now serving as Research Professor of Divinit ...
of the
Beeson Divinity School The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University is an interdenominational evangelical divinity school located in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The current dean is Douglas A. Sweeney. Though located on the campus of a Baptist university, ...
called Oden "one of the most remarkable Christians of our time hohas lived through, contributed to and helped overthrow several revolutions." Oden, had an
Arminian Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Rem ...
theology. His book ''The Transforming Power of Grace'' presents one of the best expositions of Arminian theology according to Roger E. Olson. Here are some quotes of ''The Transforming Power of Grace'' highlighted by Olson:
“God prepares the will and co-works with the prepared will. Insofar as grace precedes and prepares free will it is called prevenient. Insofar as grace accompanies and enables human willing to work with divine willing, it is called cooperating grace.” “Only when sinners are assisted by
prevenient grace Prevenient grace (or preceding grace or enabling grace) is a Christian theological concept that refers to the grace of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares to conversion. It was termed and developed by Augustine of Hippo (354 – ...
can they begin to yield their hearts to cooperation with subsequent forms of grace.” “The need for grace to prevene is great, for it was precisely when ‘you were dead in your transgressions and sins’ (Eph. 2:1) that ‘by grace you have been saved’ (eph. 2:8).”
Olson notes that "By all accounts an orthodox, biblically serious, and evangelical theologian, Oden winsomely and biblically articulates the theology ..that I call evangelical synergism r Arminian soteriology"


Death

He died on December 8, 2016, at the age of 85.
Timothy George Timothy George (born 9 January 1950) is an American theologian and journalist. He became the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at the school's inception in 1988 and was the dean from 1989–2019, now serving as Research Professor of Divinit ...
wrote in a tribute article after his death:
Few theologians of the past 100 years can claim to have had tea and cookies with
Rudolf Bultmann Rudolf Karl Bultmann (; 20 August 1884 – 30 July 1976) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of the New Testament at the University of Marburg. He was one of the major figures of early-20th-century biblical studies. A prominent criti ...
, discussed theology with
Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decla ...
at his hospital bed in Basel, had lunch with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, had an audience with Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, driven through Galilee in a Fiat with
Avery Dulles Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, and ...
in the passenger seat, and conferred with
Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet, t ...
and
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
theologians in Africa. Oden did all of these and much more. Along the way, he was both scorned and lionized, and he bore scars from some of the scrapes he was in.


Works

Oden wrote and edited many books, articles, essays, and speeches on a wide range of topics. The following list is limited to books. * ''The Crisis of the World and the Word of God'', 1962 * ''Radical Obedience: The Ethics of Rudolf Bultmann'', 1964 * ''The Community of Celebration'', 1964 * ''Kerygma and Counseling'', 1966 * ''Contemporary Theology and Psychotherapy'', 1967 * ''The Structure of Awareness'', 1969,1978 (Standard Book #:687-40075-9)'' * ''The Promise of Barth'', 1969 * ''Beyond Revolution'', 1970 * ''The Intensive Group Experience'', 1972 * ''After Therapy What?'', 1974 * ''Game Free: the Meaning of Intimacy'', 1974 * ''Should Treatment Be Terminated?'', 1976 * ''TAG: The Transanctional Game'', 1976 * ''Parables of Kierkegaard'', 1978 * ''Agenda for Theology'', 1979, rpt as ''After Modernity...What?'', 1992 () * ''Guilt Free'', 1980 * ''Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry'', 1983 () * * ''Conscience and Dividends'', 1985 * * * * * ''Crisis Ministries'', was Vol 1 Classical Pastoral Care Series, 1986, rpt as Vol 4, 1994 * ''Becoming a Minister'', Vol 1 Classical Pastoral Care Series, 1986, 1994 * ''The Living God'', Systematic Theology, Vol 1, 1987, 1992 * ''Doctrinal Standards in the Wesleyan Tradition'', 1988, rev 2008 () * ''Phoebe Palmer: Selected Writings'', 1988 * ''Ministry Through Word and Sacrament'', Vol 4 Classical Pastoral Care Series, 1988, rpt 1994 * ''The Word of Life'' ''Systematic Theology'', Vol 2, 1989, rpt 1992, 1998 * ''First and Second Timothy and Titus: Interpretation'', 1989, rpt 2012 * ''Pastoral Counsel'', Vol 3 Classical Pastoral Care Series, 1989, rpt 1994 * ''Life in the Spirit'', Systematic Theology, Vol 3, 1992 rpt 1994,1998 * ''Two Worlds: Notes on the Death of Modernity in America and Russia'', 1992 * * ''The Transforming Power of Grace'', 1993 () * * ''Corrective Love: The Power of Communion Discipline'', 1995 () * ''Requiem: A Lament in Three Movements'', 1995 () * ''The Justification Reader'', 2002 * ''The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity'', 2003 () * ''One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus'' (written with
J. I. Packer), 2004 () * ''The Humor of Kierkegaard: An Anthology'', 2004 * ''Turning Around the Mainline: How Renewal Movements Are Changing the Church'', 2006 * ''How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind'', 2007, pb 2010 * ''Good Works Reader'', Classic Christian Reader Series, 2007 * ''Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology'', 2009 () * ''In Search of Solitude: Living the Classic Christian Hours of Prayer'', 2010 * ''The African Memory of Mark: Reassessing Early Church Tradition'', 2011 * ''Early Libyan Christianity'', 2011 * * * * * * , that Oden describes as a multi-volume patristic commentary on Scripture by the “fathers of the church” spanning “the era from Clement of Rome (fl. c. 95) to John of Damascus (c.645-c.749).” *''In the Wesleyan Theological Heritage'', edited with help from Leicester R. Longden


Essays in honor of Oden

*''Ancient & Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-Orthodoxy in the 21st Century, Essays In Honor of Thomas C. Oden'', Christopher Hall and Kenneth Tanner, eds, 2002 ()


Notes and references


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oden, Thomas C. 1931 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Protestant theologians American Christian theologians American evangelicals American United Methodist clergy Arminian theologians Asbury University alumni Drew University faculty Methodist theologians Methodist writers People from Altus, Oklahoma Systematic theologians Writers from Oklahoma