A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir

Oden (emeritus, theology, Drew Univ.; Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology) provides an engaging account of his life, decade by decade, from the 1930s into the 2010s, as he moves from rural Oklahoma to Dallas and then east to Yale University and Drew University before ultimately returning to Altus, OK. The author's Christianity moves from evangelical to radical left as he becomes a socialist (and considers becoming communist), with a view of salvation both worldly and focused on human accomplishment. Later, he becomes a mainstream liberal protestant and still views salvation as having a worldly agenda but is focused on self-fulfillment rather than social transformation. Still later, Oden undergoes a slow conversion as Jewish theologian Will Herberg encourages him to reengage the scriptures and insists that he study Saints Athanasius, Augustine, and Aquinas. This was the beginning of a profound conversion that the author describes as a 180-degree turn. Slowly, his faith became more profound as he became involved in contemplative prayer, patrology, ecumenism (mainstream Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, among others), and African Christianity.