<p> Theology is often assumed to be outmoded as a mode of thought, unworthy of the respect due an academic discipline, especially in matters of public import. Recent penetrating interdisciplinary work by theologians in the orbit of Radical Orthodoxy, however, calls into question such a pat assessment of the value of theology to shape academic and public discourse. Sifting through the centuries for insight, these scholars wrestle to faithfully apply the history of ideas at crucial intersections&mdash;of the past, the present and the future; of the transcendent and the mundane; of faith and reason; of belief and doubt. No longer satisfied to be sequestered by the strictures of secularism, a theology that is both informed by and committed to furthering liturgical and doctrinal development in all its historical complexity now deigns&mdash;in the hope of shedding fresh light on recalcitrant debates to intervene in realms ranging from academia to public policy.</p>