Radical Orthodoxy and the Reformed Tradition

James K.A. Smith's latest effort, Radical Orthodoxy and the Reformed Tradition, has finally been released and I am patiently (i.e. checking my mail hourly) awaiting my copy from Amazon. Smith has co-edited this work with James H. Olthuis as a follow-up to his previous release, Inrtoducing Radical Orthodoxy, which outlines the thought and objectives of Radical Orthodoxy as put forth by John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock, and Graham Ward among others. RO is a movement that originated in the UK, primarily at Cambridge, and is being exported with the help of scholars like Smith who are doing research in the area of postmodernity and its relation to Christianity. I won't embarrass myself by attempting any sort of detailed explanation of the tenets of RO (having read Introducing I found it to be very thorough, enlightening, and occasionally confusing). In broad terms, it is an attempt to do away with the myth of a secular arena that excludes the religious. It is critical of Modernity, seeing it as having played a primary role in bringing about the sacred/secular divide. In response, it seeks to rediscover an ontological understanding of the Christian faith that provides a basis for the development of all aspects of society. It focuses heavily on the incarnational and sacramental aspects of the faith and lends much focus to reapplying the thought of Augsutine and Aquinas. While Smith provides an excellent outline (as well as a comprehensive bibliography) of the movement, he also offers some critiques. Primarily, he seeks to supplement the basic teachings of RO with principles from Dutch Reformed theology in the heritage of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Dooyewerd.

I would encourage anyone interested to pick up a copy of Radical Orthodoxy and the Reformed Tradition (or Introducing Radical Orthodoxy for that matter) and offer any thoughts or comments that they might have. I can't wait to delve deeper into waters of RO and especially to see the accounts that some of the preeminent Reformed theologians have to offer.