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- Paleo-orthodoxy (from Greek paleo "ancient" and orthodoxy "correct belief") is a Christian theological movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries which sees the consensual understanding of the faith among the Church Fathers as the basis of Biblical interpretation and the foundation of the Church in the 20th century. While it understands this consensus of the church fathers as orthodoxy proper, it calls itself paleo-orthodoxy to distinguish itself from neo-orthodoxy, a movement that was influential among Protestant churches in the mid-20th century. Paleo-orthodoxy sees the essentials of Christian theology in the consensus of the old church before the schism between the Orthodox Church and the Roman-Catholic Church (the East-West Schism of 1054) and before the separation between the Roman-Catholic Church and Protestant Churches (the Protestant Reformation of 1517), described in the canon of Vincent of Lérins as "Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus" ("What everywhere, always and by everyone"). It does not stress specific teachings or Bible interpretations of specific church fathers, but those teachings and Bible interpretation on which the church fathers in East and West agreed. Besides the doctrinal teachings of the church fathers, paleo-orthodoxy is also characterized by a renewed interest in (orthodox) liturgy and pastoral care. To some degree, the movement is a logical consequence of some of the central tenets of the more moderate narrative theology movement, although the two are theologically and ethically distinct. Paleo-orthodoxy is, for the most part, not interested in denominational differences. Most paleo-orthodox theologians belong to the conservative wing of mainline Protestant churches or to evangelical churches. Paleo-orthodoxy is sometimes associated with contemporary American neo-evangelicalism. The dominant figure 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 providing the tools to do so. Oden, who 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 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". Oden hopes "to make no new contribution to theology". Other theologians who could be said to work within the bounds of paleo-orthodoxy, deliberately or otherwise, include Marva Dawn, a Lutheran; Richard Foster, an evangelical Quaker; Alister McGrath, a Church of England Reformed evangelical; Andrew Purves, a Presbyterian; and Christopher Hall, a Pennsylvania professor and conservative Episcopalian. Some critics disagree with Oden, saying that his "paleo-orthodoxy" is actually a theological front for ecumenical neoconservatism, typified by the journal First Things. This charge is made because most paleo-orthodox thinkers do not employ the historical-critical method of Biblical exegesis, favor a greater authority role in church and personal life on the part of clergy, and assume a hostile posture toward what may generally be termed "liberal culture. " This means that their political views generally favor the state's right and obligation to wage war and to restrict what they believe to be aberrant forms of sexuality, and that Christians are to renounce private judgment in favor of obeying revealed doctrine. In short, the criticisms amount to labeling the paleo-orthodox movement reactionary. See also Biblical law in Christianity and Cafeteria Christianity. Defenders respond by declaring that paleo-orthodoxy rejects a dependence upon post-Enlightenment modernity's notions of "truth" and "knowledge" that the neo-orthodoxy of the 20th century, and its descendant theologies, was still dependent upon. Paleo-orthodoxy then is "post-modern" in the sense being a critique of modernity, although "pre-modern" might be a more apt term. Another variant 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, Stanley Hauerwas or McGrath as neo-orthodox (a category into which they consider narrativism to fall) and dismiss Foster as an Anabaptist pietist. They also reflect the influence of J. I. Packer, especially his studies on English Puritanism. Basically, this wing of the paleo-orthodox movement is a form of fundamentalism, with a more explicitly authoritarian cast than the main portion of the movement.
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