Thomas C. Oden Sr.

Thomas C. Oden Sr. of Oklahoma City passed away peacefully in his home on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at the age of 85. He is survived by his son Edward and daughter Laura; daughter-in-law Jeanne; grandchildren Kelly, Lily, Chloe, Amy, Cory and Mary; great-grandchildren Liam, Allie and Grace; his brother Tal and sister Sarah; and a vast extended family. He was predeceased by his parents Waldo and Lily, his beloved wife Edrita, and his eldest son and namesake Clark.

Tom Oden was born in Altus, Oklahoma to a loving family full of music and prayer. He graduated from Altus High School and attended the University of Oklahoma. While at OU, he met and married his soul mate, Edrita Pokorny. Her death in 1998 only strengthened his devotion to her and his faith that they will be reunited in God's Kingdom.

Described as both a bridge-builder and a gap-filler, Tom Oden's life's works served those purposes. He was one of the world's leading evangelical theologians, equally at home with both Protestant and Catholic evangelicals, and respected by the leaders of organized religion worldwide including Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Catholicos of All Armenians, and many more. His works, in English and Italian, are part of the Vatican library. Tom never cared about being in the majority. His views were often at odds with his peers although the differences were intellectual and never personal.

Although Tom was world-renown and a leader in his field, he was happiest at his lake home, Egret Point, with his family, colleagues, and his library – which was large enough to have its own zip code. On those occasions when he would take a break from his books, Tom loved visiting with family and friends on topics both grand and trivial, reading and writing poetry and meditations, and enjoying nature – especially living by the water. He also had a passion for sports, classic movies, old radio comedies and humor of all types.

Tom distinguished himself in academics. He graduated cum laude and as a Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oklahoma in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1956, he graduated magna cum laude from Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology, with a Bachelor of Divinity. He received a Master of Arts from Yale in 1957, and a Ph.D. from Yale Graduate School in 1960 under the direction of H. Richard Niebuhr. He was also honored with a Doctor of Letters from Asbury College and the Nashota House.

Tom taught at Yale University, Southern Methodist University and Phillips University before joining the graduate school faculty at Drew University in 1970. He also held short-term positions at Ruprecht-Karls Universität in Heidelberg, Germany, the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland and Texas Medical School before retiring from Drew in 2003.

A former social radical, Tom became a "mere Christian," and finally – in his own words – a theologian 20 years after he began his seminary teaching career. He was known as a spirited professor and a rigorous dissertation supervisor. His graduates took on leading roles in colleges and seminaries from Korea and Japan to Central America and Ghana. In recognition of his scholarly production and teaching proficiency, he was awarded the Henry Anson Buttz chair of Theology and Ethics at Drew in 1980. Tom continued to publish significant works in pastoral care, pastoral theology and theology. His ambitious three-volume Systematic Theology (later revised and published as one-volume, Classical Christianity) meticulously summarizes the ancient consensual Christian tradition. In 1993, be began what he described as his life's work — the 29 volume series Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture or ACCS.

Early in his career, Tom's passionate pursuit of knowledge led him to tea with Rudolf Bultmann, to Basel for a theological discussion with Karl Barth in Barth's hospital room, meetings with Victor Frankl in Vienna, J.H van den berg in Leiden, Wolfhart Pannenburg in Mainz, Hans Georg Gadamer in Heidelberg, and Frank Lake in Nottingham. Later, this passionate search for knowledge, redirected by the challenge of Will Herberg, led him to the careful study of Athanasius, Augustine, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory the Great. Persuaded by the great minds of the ancient Christian consensual tradition, he made a 180 degree change in course. His new direction led him to lifelong friendships with Richard Neuhaus, J.I. Packer, Avery Dulles, Geoffrey Wainright and Karl Froelich.

During his tenure at Drew he produced for publication more than 80 articles and book chapters, 31 books, and served as the general editor for 10 volumes. He was the executive editor of Christianity Today (1995-2001), a contributing editor to Good News and the Journal of Christian Counseling, and on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

After his retirement from Drew, Tom finished editing the remaining 16 volumes of the ACCS, edited the Ancient Christian Doctrine series, edited the Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity, and served as general editor of the Ancient Christian Texts Series. He authored 15 books, including a four-volume series on John Wesley's teachings and his memoir, A Change of Heart.

In 2006, he launched the second phase of his life's work, the Center for Early African Christianity. His turn toward Africa included research visits to Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, and a trilogy on Ancient African Christianity. Earlier this year, under his directorship, an international team of scholars completed a multi-year, interdisciplinary research project on the Ethiopian Canticles. The Songs of Africa: The Ethiopian Canticles to be published in 2017 will be his final editorial publication.

Tom's books have been translated and published into 11 languages. Throughout his career, Tom also served in many professional and political organizations, including the American Theological Society, American Academy of Religion, American Society for Christian Ethics, Rotary Club, Americans for Democratic Action, World Federalist Movement and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He observed the Vatican Council II (1965) and participated in the White House Conference on Urban Initiatives (1985).

His firm belief that Christians need to look to the early church fathers rather than relying exclusively on modern theology once lead Tom to declare that he hoped "he made no new contribution to theology." While his wish may have been fulfilled, Tom's contributions to his field are undeniable. More importantly, his tender, caring influence on the generations of family, friends and countless others whose lives he touched will endure forever. Tom's older brother, Tal, said, "We are all poorer because of his loss, but we are richer because of who he was and what he did."

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on December 17 at Church of the Servant, 14343 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Public visitation will be at Guardian West Funeral Home, 5820 NW 41st St., Warr Acres, Okla., on Friday, December 16, 2016 from noon to 7 p.m. with the family greeting friends at the funeral home from 5-7 p.m. Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guest book at www.guardianwestfuneralchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Institute for Classical Christian Studies Inc., c/o Judy A. Akin E.A., 2816 NW 57th St., Suite 103, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.