What is the purpose of this blog?

Radical Orthodoxy is a theological movement that is a type of "ancient postmodernity." It calls for us to recover the patristic and medieval conception of the Triune God, creation ex nihilo, participation, and the centrality of the liturgy and sacraments. It also offers up a thorough critique of modernity and liberalism. It calls for the Church to shed its false humility and accomodation of modernity to proclaim again the Christian story, develop a Christian logic (over and against the modern myth of universal rationality), and to adhere to practices that will form Christian character necessary to participate in God's superabundant grace.

Preaching suffers today because it has become ensnared in all the pitfalls of modern society. Preaching is often little more than self-help or pop psychology. It is rational discourse. It is made to be the be all end all of Christian worship. Preaching is oftentimes placed in dialectical tension with theology. Theology becomes valid only "if it will preach."

This blog represents an attempt to, in Will Willimon's words, to "preach Christ and Him crucified, not humanity and it slightly improved." Thus, there are several ways I can see this blog going.

1) The development of a hermeneutics and homiletics that wrestle seriously with Radical Orthodoxy.

2) The connection of the Christian year put forward by the Christian calendar and the lectionary with the theological project of Radical Orthodoxy. For instance, the connection between Advent and Eschatology, Christmas and Incarnation, Epiphany and Revelation.

3) The connection of preaching each week with the key themes of Radical Orthodoxy.


I invite your comments and participation as we seek together to preach and embody the Gospel.