1. A 20th-century Protestant theological movement that reasserted traditional Christian doctrines (such as divine transcendence and human sinfulness) in response to liberal theology, while maintaining modern biblical scholarship.
Usage: theology; also called neo-orthodoxy or dialectical theology; associated with theologians such as Karl Barth

Examples

• Neoorthodoxy emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction against the optimism of liberal Protestant theology.
• Karl Barth's work became the foundation of neoorthodoxy in European and American churches.
• The neoorthodoxy movement emphasized God's radical otherness and the limits of human reason in understanding divine truth.
• Scholars of neoorthodoxy sought to recover classical Christian teachings while engaging with contemporary biblical criticism.
• Neoorthodoxy influenced Protestant denominations throughout the mid-20th century.