Development of Catholic Doctrine: Evolution, Revolution, Or an Organic Process?C.S. Lewis, the famous Anglican writer, once wrote: "The very possibility of progress demands that there should be an unchanging element . . . the positive historical statements made by Christianity have the power . . . of receiving, without intrinsic change, the increasing complexity of meaning which increasing knowledge puts into them" ("God in the Dock," Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1970, 44-47). Doctrine clearly develops within Scripture ("progressive revelation"). Examples: doctrines of the afterlife, the Trinity, the Messiah (eventually revealed as God the Son), the Holy Spirit (Divine Person in the New Testament), the equality of Jews and Gentiles, bodily resurrection, sacrifice of lambs evolving into the sacrifice of Christ, etc. This book serves as an introduction to the notion of doctrinal development, written from a popular lay apologetics standpoint. |
Contents
Vatican II and the Catechism ofthe Catholic Church | 15 |
Fundamental Misunderstandings of Some Fundamentalists | 23 |
How Cardinal Newman Convinced me of the Apostolicity of | 33 |
Various Aspects of Newmans Theory of Development and | 45 |
The DevelopmentofCatholic Mariology53 | 53 |
The Development of the Papacy and the Canon of Scripture | 69 |
Historical Development in the Understanding of Doctrinal | 89 |
John Henry Newman The Theory of Developments | 121 |
Review of Newmans Essay on the Development | 151 |
Excerpts from Catholic Orestes Brownsons Critical | 161 |
Newman Biographer Wilfrid Wards Remarks | 183 |
Common terms and phrases
accept according apostolic applied argument authority become beginning believe Bible biblical called canon Cardinal Catholic Church Catholicism century Christ Christian Christian doctrine claim Conception concerning considered continue corruption Council course Creed defined definitions deny development of doctrine distinct Divine doctrine dogma early errors Essay evidence explain expression fact faith Fathers give given grace ground growth hand held heresy heretics hold Holy human idea Immaculate impression individual infallibility instance Jesus John knowledge later laws least living Mary matter meaning mind nature never Newman notion object once original papacy person Peter philosophy Pope present principles progress Protestant Protestantism question reason received regard religion remains revelation Roman Rome sacred Scripture seems sense simply speak Spirit teaching Testament theology theory things thought Tradition Trinity true truth understanding various Vatican whole writing
Popular passages
Page 2 - The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field ; 32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.