Newman's Development of Doctrine

[May 12, 2023] I was recently privileged to join Steve Cunningham on the Resistance Podcast on the Sensus Fidelium channel to talk about St. John Henry Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. It was an excellent discussion on a very timely subject. If you'd like to listen to the talk, you can do so here. The entire video is around 55 minutes long.

Here is a synopsis of what we cover in the talk:

1. Newman's theory of development of doctrine is often invoked erroneously as a deus ex machina explanation of why something has changed or should change in Catholic thought.

2. This erroneous application of Newman's development of doctrine is made by progressives as well as conservatives: the former invoke it as an argument for why the Church should break from its traditional beliefs and practices, the latter as an explanation for officially sanctioned departures from tradition (e.g., the change in the Church's attitude towards the death penalty.

3. To see things properly, we need to have a correct understanding of what Newman did (and did not) mean when he argued that doctrine develops.

4. Newman wrote his Essay in the context of objections posed by Protestants to the Catholic claim to teach unchangin truth. His purpose is to offer an historical explanation of how doctrince can develop while remaining true to its fundamental principles; in other words, how Catholic teaching can mature while remaining unchanged. Newman is not necessarily positing a theological doctrine so much as an historical argument for how doctrine has, in fact, developed over the centuries.

5. Newman says that an authentic doctrinal development can be distinguished from a doctrinal corruption by the presence of seven characteristics or "notes." These "notes" are like marks that identify an organic development that should be accepted from a perversion that should be rejected. Each note is discussed with examples.

6. The conclusion reached is that few people invoking Newman in contemporary discussion are doing so according to the principles Newman himself laid down in his Essay. The abuse of Newman's idea has led even traditional Catholics to view it with skepticism. This is lamentable, as Newman's development of doctrine is a wonderful tool for explaining the maturation of the Faith, but it must be understood rightly.

One caveat before you listen: in the introduction, I say the theory of the development of doctrine is not itself a theological doctrine; rather, it is an historical theory purporting to explain how doctrine changes over time while remaining true to its principles. One listener criticized me here, saying that development of doctrine is, in fact, a theological teaching of the Church taught at Vatican I, and that my comment is incorrect.

I respond: I do not know what he is referring to re: Vatican I. My comments in the video, however, pertain only to John Henry Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, not the broader concept of the development of doctrine as such. When I say this is a historical theory and not a theological principle, what I mean is that Newman is making a historical case, not a theological one. The Essay is a lengthy historical argument offering a mechanism to explain how the development of doctrine happens. It is generally granted by all but the most obtuse that doctrine develops within the realm of theology; that is not in question. Newman's Essay offers an historical argument for how it happens. This is what I mean when I say development of doctrine is an historical theory. Please keep that in mind in case it is unclear.

I hope you are edified by the discussion. Pax.