THE REBIRTH OF ORTHODOXY: Signs of New Life in Christianity, by Thomas C. Oden, HarperSanFrancisco, 2003, 212pp. (Call no.BT28.O34).

Somewhere between the old "liberal" ecumenical establishment of the left and the rigid isolationist fundamentalism of the right, new life is emerging. Thomas C. Oden, a respected professor of theology and ethics at Drew University, is optimistic for the Church in the Third Millenium. He sees a renewal of appreciation for orthodoxy, biblical roots, by a broad spectrum of religious communities---Evangelical, Mainline, Orthodox and Catholic, with a parallel renewal in Jewish communities.

By "orthodox" the author means (for Christians and Jews) the "ancient consensual scriptural teaching rooted in the first five centuries of the common era." For Jews this means the Talmud. For Christians this means the teachings of the same time period. The Creeds and early liturgies of the Church are relevant to spiritual life today. Richard John Neuhaus says THE REBIRTH OF ORTHODOXY is an "invitation to join the great company of those who boldly contend for a living tradition." (Book jacket).