Change of Heart
Thomas Oden's intellectual autobiography chronicles one of the most dramatic theological reversals in twentieth-century American Christianity. Written near the end of his career as a Methodist theologian and patristics scholar, this memoir traces Oden's journey from radical liberal activism in the 1960s to becoming a leading voice for classical Christian orthodoxy. The book emerges from Oden's recognition that his transformation represented a broader pattern of disillusionment with theological liberalism that many of his generation experienced.
Oden recounts how his early enthusiasm for process theology, death-of-God theology, and revolutionary politics gradually gave way to a profound encounter with the church fathers and the Great Tradition of Christian thought. He describes pivotal moments including his dialogue with Jewish theologian Will Herberg, who challenged him to take seriously the texts he claimed to teach, and his growing conviction that contemporary theology had abandoned its ancient foundations in favor of trendy ideologies. The memoir details his systematic return to patristic sources and his role in editing the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, showing how personal conversion became scholarly vocation. Oden candidly examines his motivations, mistakes, and the intellectual courage required to abandon positions that had defined his early career.
The work has served as both encouragement and roadmap for Christians seeking to recover theological orthodoxy in an age of rapid doctrinal change. Oden's account demonstrates that serious engagement with historic Christianity need not represent intellectual retreat but can constitute genuine theological maturation. His story has particular resonance for those who have experienced their own theological reversals or who struggle with the relationship between academic respectability and orthodox faith.
Who should read this: Theologians, pastors, and serious students of Christianity who are interested in the dynamics of theological change and the recovery of orthodox faith will find this memoir both personally moving and intellectually stimulating. Those committed to theological liberalism may find Oden's critique challenging but his honesty about his own journey nonetheless illuminating.