Dream of Thomas Oden

In his book, A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir, Thomas C. Oden reported on a dream he had:

In the season of Epiphany 1971 I had a curious dream in which I was in the New Haven cemetery and accidentally stumbled upon my own tombstone with this puzzling epitaph: “He made no new contribution to theology.” I woke up refreshed and relieved. (p. 143)

He summed up his life story this way:

My life story has had two phases: going away from home as far as I could go, not knowing what I might find in an odyssey of preparation, and then at last inhabiting anew my own original home of classic Christian wisdom. The uniting theme of the two parts of my life can only be providence. For confessing Christians it is a familiar story of a life unexpectedly turned around by an outpouring of grace ... I had been enamored with novelty. Candidly, I had been in love with heresy. Now I was waking up from this enthrallment to meet a two thousand year stable memory. (p. 140)

A man who early on bought into heresy and religious fads could end his journey happy that “He made no new contribution to theology.” The word is written, the canon is closed. We are not called to create new theology, but to faithfully pass down the truth once for all delivered to the saints.

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Galatians 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

May we reject the temptation either to tell, or to hear some new thing. We are called to be faithful stewards of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was once delivered to the saints, and which has been passed down to us by faithful teachers of the word. Oh, Lord, deliver us making new contributions to theology.

Since man by sin has lost his God,
He seeks creation through;
And vainly strives for solid bliss,
In trying something new.

From A Select Collection of Songs Designed for the Use of the Pious of Every Denomination (A. & J. Shirley, Portland, ME, 1816)