Customer Reviews

The Living God: Systemic Theology: Volume One (Systematic Theology)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oden, a professor at Drew University, used to be a die-hard modernist, by his own admission. Upon reading the church fathers (such as Hilary, Basil, Jerome, Athanasius, etc) he actually was drawn toward traditional Christianity. It is not surprising that this book (about God's nature and actions) is very traditional, and relies on the Church Fathers', including the reformers, ideas. By using the Bible, as interpreted by the Fathers and the reformers, well reasoned and enduring theology is presented. However this book is very detailed and is very comprehensive, which as another reviewer pointed out, may seem boring to some. However to others it is a great summary of the Christian faith. Here Oden looks at: God's nature, God's character, his name, his works, his Triunity, etc. I highly recommend this book. It is probably the best sytematic theology on the market.

Yes, this book is a bit head-y. It is, after all a book on systematic theology. For those of us interested in such things this treatment (along with vols. 2 & 3) present a comprehensive and scholarly study of the theologies of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Oden's perspective is more Wesleyan than Calvinist. All readers, from Wesleyans to Calvinists can benefit from the sound Biblical study presented in these works.

Oden gives us an extremely detailed systematic theology. For the non-reader, or average Christian there may be too much information to swallow. However for those of us who love to dig deeper into our beliefs, this is one of the best systematic theologys out there. In this volume (volume 1) Oden looks at the basic notions of God presented in the Christian tradition. Such topics include whether God is Triune, God's character, etc. Oden (in his 2nd volume) talks about his 'pyramid of sources' which basically means which sources he considers valuable. They are listed here from most important (to his organization process) to least: the Bible, Ante and Nicene Fathers, Medieval authors, Reformers, and modern theologians. He does not have a problem with reformers, and he quotes from them liberally too, he just has studied a lot of church history, not just reformation beliefs. He also only quotes church fathers when they represent commonly held ideas. I.e. he quotes Augustine and Origen, but not when their views were extreme and rejected by most of the church. As far as I can tell Oden is very traditional, and he leans toward a Wesleyan view of free-will. Overall this book is VERY detailed and it is obvious Oden has done his research.

Oden states that the history of the church is the history of exegesis. By looking back down the hollowed corridor of history to the faith that was delivered up through past generations, who sometimes willingly died as martyrs to protect and pass down the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we rediscover the historical and intellectual roots of the Christian faith. Oden's view is that the wisdom of Christian thought has lain dormant and neglected by the contemporary church for far too long.

Oden desires to present the reader with the faith that Vincent of Lerins reflected when he penned, "quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est": "that which has been believed in every place, in every time, by everyone." By this, he means those statements of faith that have been claimed by the majority of Christians throughout time. Oden evidences a firm sense of the importance of reconciling historic doctrinal teaching within the ecclesiastical fundamentals of theology while presenting it in a way that will fascinate evangelicals as they row down the river of historical theology from its headwaters in the New Testament towards modernity. Faithful to this purpose, Oden tries to make no new theological contribution, seeks no new way to contemplate the Lord, no new method of expressing or articulating the Christian faith. Instead he calls upon with great frequency (over 15,000 times throughout the three volumes) to exegetes of Christian history which, as a group of thinkers, he refers to as classical Christianity, or ancient ecumenical orthodoxy. His goal is to warm Protestants to the richness of centuries of Christian intellectual achievement which led to the Reformation. Therefore, unlike other systematics where little thought is given to historical exegesis as though the Lord invented Christianity and then placed it on a shelf until the 16th century Reformation, this is a systematic that allows the historic Church to reveal its mastery of Christian thought that the history books ignore. By adhering to such a pattern, Oden has contested against the urge to engage modern and contemporary theologians and theological systems.

Though the reading can be difficult, not because Oden fails to define terms, or through the use of ambiguous language, but because his work is broken up by so many references to classical Christian exegetes. Nevertheless, Oden's systematic is well worth the reading effort, for it puts you in touch with what the great and enduring Christian teachers have thought of God and the meaning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While not wishing to downplay the differences within the Body, I would point out that Oden harbors within the pages of his systematic theology an ecumenical focus that is surprisingly evangelical. In short, I highly recommend this systematic as it may well be the best systematic theology on the market. Undoubtedly, it is the best Wesleyan/Arminian systematic available today.

Oden's book is an edifying and clear-headed antidote to many of the sentimental and historically misinformed theological debates of today. Difficult reading, but well worth the effort, for it puts you in touch with what the great and enduring Christian teachers have thought about God.

A wonderful systematic theology. Very,very detailed. Oden doesn't start with the reformation as true christian living. The sources he is using are like a pyramid. First the scriptures, then apostolic fathers and so on. By this principle ancient and traditional sources are more used than modern authors or theologies.
A must for christians of all (!) churches. Buy all 3 volumes!

This is a heavy tome, but I appreciate Oden's discussion about God. He gives many convincing proofs for God's existence which, taken, together, are powerful. He also has chapters about God's nature and God's character. He writes from a mainline evangelical Protestant perspective. He seems to agree with William Lane Craig's Molinism (middle knowledge - God's knows what the world could have been like if He had gone a certain direction, He knows all possible choices and outcomes. Great book.

Thomas Clark Oden (b. 1931) is a United Methodist theologian who teaches at Drew University. This is the first volume of a 3-volume systematic theology (the other volumes are The Word of Life: Systematic Theology: Volume Two and Life in the Spirit (Systematic Theology, Volume 3) ). He draws heavily upon the church fathers for his theology.

He states in his Preface, "my target audience is the working pastor. I have wondered whether it is possible to write a systematic study of God that pastors will actually find useful, practical for preaching and pastoral care, and not lacking in a comic sense. I have also wondered whether a single statement of Christian teaching could be usefully read and welcomed by both Protestant and Catholic pastors without awkwardness or offense. I have tried to write such a book. My purpose has not been to avoid giving offense but to look constantly for that way of expressing Christian faith that does indeed embrace and unite the marvelous varieties of Christian experience."

He states, "It should be evident that I am not using the term systematic theology with the anti-Catholic assumptions that have been applied by some Protestant writers (A.H. Strong, H. Bavinck), or in the deliberately existentialist way of Paul Tillich.... I am striving for neither postmodern nor modern but a deliberately POSTMODERN ORTHODOX systematic theology." (pg. 329)

Here are some representative quotes from the first volume:

"Modernity presents no tougher set of challenges to Christianity than did the fall of Rome, the collapse of the medieval synthesis, the breakup of the unity of Christendom in the sixteenth century, or the Enlightement. Modern theology must be written amid the breakup of modernity." (pg. x)
"There remains a 'scandal of particularity' in all historical revelation." (pg. 20)
"Human freedom remains freedom, significantly self-determining, even if divinely foreknown." (pg. 73)
"The Bible does not rule out scientific cosmologies and other ways of understanding the primitive history of the world. The natural emergence of the cosmic, geological, vegetative, and animal spheres can remain a matter of scientific investigation. The creation narratives do not pretend to describe in empirical detail, objectively, descriptively, or unmetaphorically, the way in which the world came into being; rather, they declare the awesome primordial fact that the world is radically dependent on the generosity, wisdom, and help of God." (pg. 233)
"By the Spirit's guidance certain teaching, such as those of slavery and the place of women in the church, have been to some degree corrected, or are being corrected, through a process of historical ecumenical consent." (pg. 348)

This book is unoriginal - and precisely in its unoriginality, it is profound. Oden draws upon what he calls the "consensual tradition" of classical Christian theology to articulate the logic of Christian thought in his Systematic Theology. Oden's doctrine of God is particularly strong. He weaves together patristic trinitarian reflection, medieval reflection on analogy and the mystery of God, and a canonical reading of scripture to result in a stunning account of a God who is worth worshipping. Oden is deceptively simple in his writing. He points to key passages of scripture, and key passages from a wide range of Christian thinkers (from the East and the West, from the first century to the twentieth century). With this, he pulls together a richly diverse, yet coherent collage which breaks through the common stereotypes of classical Christian belief. This is a very valuable book for thoughtful Christians.

Can you ever give one Author a 5 star review when Discussing Theology ?? This is Odens best effort. A must read for the student of Theology and the last installment of a great trilogy. Read them in order