_Radical Orthodoxy? -- A Catholic Enquiry._  Edited by Laurence Paul
Hemming.  (Aldershot, England:  Ashgate, 2000).  Heythorp studies in
contemporary philosophy, religion, and theology.  179 pp.
     Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., beden@ccmail.nevada.edu, University of
Nevada, Las Vegas.

     This book is the result of the papers and discussions presented at a
conference on the same topic at Heythrop College, London in June 1999.
This conference brought together three editors of the book _Radical
Orthodoxy:  A New Theology_, which is generally regarded as the
"scriptures" of this movement, and one Anglican and four Roman Catholic
theologians in a debate/discussion on the assumptions, claims, and methods
of the Radical Orthodoxy movement.
     The book is organized into five sections consisting of ten chapters.
Part I, the introductory section,  is comprised of two chapters.  The
Introduction is written as an explanatory and question-asking dialogue
concerning the Radical Orthodoxy movement and its development in England,
while Chapter 2 is an explanation of the effect of Radical Orthodoxy from a
North American context.   Part II contains two chapters, one on the
programme of Radical Orthodoxy from one of its leaders, and one a response
to this programme from a Catholic perspective.  Part III is comprised of
two chapters dealing with Radical Orthodoxy's retrieval of theological
sites, again presented as a dialogue/debate between the two viewpoints.
Part IV has three chapters, dealing with Radical Orthodoxy and the question
of the contemporary.  Cultural politics, the theology of John Milbank (one
of the founders of the movement), and Christology and the "suspension of
the material" are the topics of these chapters.  Finally, a conclusion
chapter is provided as a focal point to continue the discussion in the
future, and endeavor to strategize and plan for future debate and
discussion.
     It is clear from this book that this topic is providing much debate in
the Catholic community.  The topic of how Catholic theology responds to
modernity and the loss of tradition, and the rise of the Radical Orthodoxy
movement, is thoughtfully and respectfully presented in this book.  That
the three main proponents of the movement are present and participate in
this discussion at this conference is indicative of the type of open
argument and debate that has become a hallmark of modern Catholic
theological discourse.  Although no conclusions are reached, the book is a
starting point for further reflection and strategic planning in the
contemplation of the ideas and principles which are espoused by the Radical
Orthodoxy movement.

Ashgate Publishers