Ad Fontes Reading Group: Classic Christianity by Thomas C. Oden

The Book

Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (HarperOne: 1992).
“An ordered view of the faith of the Christian community upon which there has generally been substantial agreement between the traditions of East and West, including Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox” (xiii).

Around 900 pages.
Reading is stretched out over two years, which amounts to an average of only 8 or 9 pages per week (a little over a page per day).
Less than 5 minutes of reading per day (or around 30 minutes per week).
Set aside extra time as able for note taking, reflection, and further exploration of the topics.
There will be breaks in the reading with optional supplementary readings provided for those weeks.

Always read with a pen in hand.
Write a question mark (?) in the margin when you don’t understand something or want to discuss it further.
Write an asterisk (*) or exclamation point (!) in the margin when something stands out to you as especially important.
Write notes in the margin or use a notebook.

The Ad Fontes Group will meet about twice a month via Google Meet.
Stay tuned for a group meeting times.
The meeting link will be shared with those who sign up via the Google Form (click here).
If you sign up for the group, it does mean that you are committing to meet every time, but we ask that you try your best to join the group calls at least once a month.

The reading is stretched out over two years, in part so that the plan can also be used for a local church Elder Training Program with busy ordinands who work full-time jobs.
Along the way, supplementary resources will be shared with group participants.
For example, when Oden addresses original sin, we will share podcasts, articles, and key historical readings (e.g., from Augustine and John Wesley) on the topic.
Priority will be given to key resources from the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition.