Postmodernity rejects essence, absolutes and grand narratives. Theology, on the other hand, is all about the essential, the absolute, and a narrative which claims to be ‘the greatest story ever told’. How then does theology relate to postmodernism? Can there be such a thing as ‘postmodern theology’?

Over the last decade, academic theology has increasingly responded to the intellectual climate of postmodernism. Our latest In Depth article takes a look at the influence of postmodernism on theology, and outlines some themes and suggestions for reading.

One of the most striking developments in recent theology has been the emergence of a movement termed ‘Radical Orthodoxy’. Radicalism and orthodoxy are not terms frequently found together. Born out of a response to theological liberalism, it is a thoroughly postmodern phenomenon, although it rejects a number of key assumptions within postmodernism. It is also highly controversial and has drawn bitter and sustained criticism from many theologians and philosophers. Here we take a brief look at Radical Orthodoxy and its critics.

Another major theological response to postmodernism is the ‘scriptural reasoning’ inspired by the Jewish philosopher Peter Ochs, which has influenced many contemporary Christian theologians.

For those less familiar with postmodernism or academic theology, we also recommend some general guides to the field.

This excellent set of essays is edited by one of the key proponents of postmodern theology, Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Beginning with an introduction to the concepts involved, this guide contains essays on various typologies of postmodern theology, notably on ‘Deconstructive theology’ from Graham Ward, one of the founding fathers of Radical Orthodoxy, and on ‘Reconstructive theology’ from David Ray Griffin.

The second section deals with areas of Christian doctrine in postmodern perspective, with contributions on scripture and tradition by Kevin Vanhoozer, and the Holy Spirit by David Ford.

For all of those seeking an entry point to the issues involved in postmodern theology, this is the clearest introduction.

Like many forms of postmodern theology, Radical Orthodoxy is complex and diverse enough to resist easy classification. Broadly speaking, it rejects many of the characteristic features of modern theology; enlightenment theories of disembodied knowledge, presumptions of violence and nihilism and the separation of a material, scientific realm from a realm of grace.

Radical Orthodoxy makes use of the deconstructive strategies of postmodernism to reach beyond modern theologies which it sees as flawed, and back to more typically pre-modern theories of knowledge, metaphysics and grace. But it is not simply a question of re-asserting pre-modern theologies; while radically orthodox theologians may favour Augustine to Duns Scotus or Descartes, they are as much reliant on the theories of Derrida as they are on more typically Christian theologians.

Modern theology is seen as being too adaptive and apologetic to other disciplines such as the natural and human sciences, and secular philosophy. Radical Orthodoxy claims that theology should be unashamed of its position as the ‘queen of the sciences’, a discipline towards which others should orient themselves, rather than the other way around. Far from the triumphal claims of secular modernity, Radical Orthodoxy claims that we are now in a ‘post-secular’ age. Whether this is the same as a ‘religious’ age is a matter for debate.

Without a doubt, Radical Orthodoxy is one of the most innovative and exciting theologies to emerge in the last two decades. Highly controversial, difficult to characterise and even harder to read, this volume is essential reading for all interested in contemporary academic theological debate.

One of the major features of Radical Orthodoxy is its sheer complexity, and the obscure nature of its vocabulary. This is in some sense a function of the postmodern philosophy that it responds to. Indeed, one of the key texts of Radical Orthodoxy, John Milbank’s ‘The Word Made Strange’, has been described as ‘the only book that is reviewed by its own title!’

Here one of its disciples sets out the fundamental concerns for a more general theological readership. While broadly sympathetic to Radical Orthodoxy, Smith is not wholly uncritical, making this an excellent introduction to a heated and difficult debate.

This is the first major collection of essays from critics of the Radical Orthodoxy project. Published recently, the arguments in this book attack the accuracy of the historical narratives on which Radical Orthodoxy depends.

This is an important contribution to the debate surrounding Radical Orthodoxy, and is essential reading for those that wish to understand its implications fully.

Moving the debate away from Radical Orthodoxy (or rather sidestepping it entirely!), we turn to the work of Jewish theologian Peter Ochs, and the movement of Scriptural Reasoning inspired by it.

Ochs’ early work looks at the patterns of thought that typically emerge in modernity, concluding that they can often have destructive consequences. Through an analysis of the work of the pragmatic philosopher Charles Peirce, Ochs proffers a model of philosophy and reasoning based on ‘pragmatic’ patterns of thought, which he sees as reflecting the work of Jewish Talmudic scholars. In this way, the practice of reading scripture emerges as a vital answer to the challenges of modernity.

His method is aimed at uncovering the conflicting beliefs that underlie modern patterns of thought, and repairing and supplementing these with additional models based on practices of scriptural reasoning. This has given birth to a broad movement of theologians and philosophers from the Abrahamic faith traditions, which meets regularly to read one another’s scripture together, producing fascinating dialogues and collaborations.

In this respect, Scriptural Reasoning is thoroughly postmodern. Its emphases are on interfaith dialogue, a position that recognises the difficulties of asserting one ‘universal’ truth claim over another. It is also deeply indebted to the work of postmodern literary scholars, with their concern for the logic that lies hidden in texts. Like Radical Orthodoxy, it uses the tools of postmodernity to reach beyond a secular modernism to the religious traditions of the past, rediscovering and reinventing them in the contemporary academy. Unlike Radical Orthodoxy, it does not insist upon a dogmatic view of history or theology; rather it provides suggested starting points and patterns of thought for productive dialogue.

For those still a little bewildered by the relationship between postmodernity and theology, this is the comprehensive guide. Edited by Graham Ward, a leading light in Radical Orthodoxy, this is a diverse volume of essays that encompasses all of the major themes and authors in postmodern theology, including the work of Don Cupitt, Stanley Hauerwas, John Milbank, Peter Ochs, as well as many secular philosophers and theorists.

Each essay is introduced with an account of the writer’s work, offering a degree of context to an otherwise difficult field.