After Modernity... What?

Thomas Oden's manifesto emerged from his conviction that the modern theological project had reached a dead end by 1990. Writing as a Methodist theologian who had himself moved from liberal to orthodox positions, Oden declared that the Enlightenment's grip on Christian theology was finally loosening after two centuries of dominance. He saw signs everywhere that modernity's promises of inevitable progress, rational autonomy, and scientific mastery were collapsing under their own contradictions, creating an unprecedented opportunity for theological renewal.

Oden argues that theology must now undertake a deliberate "postmodern" recovery of pre-modern Christian orthodoxy. Rather than continuing to accommodate Christian faith to modern assumptions, he calls for a wholesale retrieval of patristic and medieval theological wisdom. The book charts this agenda through careful analysis of how modernity corrupted core theological tasks, from Scripture interpretation to pastoral care. Oden contends that authentic Christian theology was healthiest before the Enlightenment and can be again, but only through disciplined attention to the church fathers, ecumenical councils, and classic Christian consensus. He particularly emphasizes returning to primary sources rather than contemporary commentaries, arguing that theological education and church practice must be fundamentally reoriented around ancient Christian texts and practices.

The work became influential among evangelicals, Eastern Orthodox, and others seeking alternatives to liberal Protestant theology, helping to fuel the "theological retrieval" movement of the 1990s and beyond. Oden's call resonated with scholars already questioning modernity's theological legacy and provided intellectual framework for what became known as "paleo-orthodoxy." Who should read this: theologians, seminary students, and church leaders interested in understanding arguments for theological traditionalism and the case against modern theological method. Those content with contemporary theological approaches or unfamiliar with the liberal-conservative debates of late twentieth-century Christianity may find Oden's stark dichotomies less compelling.