St. John Henry Newman

Pope Leo has announced that St. John Henry Newman will become a Doctor of the Church. This is a big honor, as there are only 38 Doctors of the Church. He will be the second Doctor of the Church from England, after St. Bede. Newman produced a large amount of theological works over his lifetime, tracing his personal religious journey as well as religious movements of the nineteenth century. Newman once defined theology as "the Science of God, or the truths we know about God, put into a system, just as we have a science of the stars and call it astronomy, or of the crust of the earth and call it geology." Pope Leo has found Newman’s works as a significant contribution to the Church. His most influential work is considered to be “An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine,” which explored how the application of Christian doctrine may change over time, given time and place, even as the core truths of the faith stay the same. This was considered an influential document during the Second Vatican Council.

John Henry Newman was born in London in 1801. The son of a banker, he received a good education and was a big reader. When he was 15, a friend gave him books on the Calvinist tradition, and Newman converted to Calvinist evangelicalism. He later credited the conversion as important to his religious journey, although his views on Calvinism quickly shifted. After graduating from Oxford, he became a priest in the Church of England. He also continued to teach and research at Oriel College in Oxford.

In 1828 he became vicar of St. Mary’s University Church. He studied the Church Fathers deeply, and his views took a stronger, higher ecclesiastical tone. In 1830 he circulated an anonymous letter on how nonconformists should be removed from positions of power in society. This led to him being dismissed from his position.