Justification As Argued By Newman

Newman and Justification examines John Henry Newman's via media 'doctrine of the justifying presence' in his Lectures on Justification. T. L. Holtzen contends that Newman put forth his via media doctrine of the justifying presence by employing a trinitarian grammar of divine inhabitation in which the Holy Spirit is the formal cause of justification as a solution to the Reformation debate over justification. Newman sets his via media of justification between the extremes of justification by 'mere imputation' in 'popular Protestantism' and that of justification by works-righteousness in 'English Arminianism' and 'Romanism'. The word 'justification' means both being declared and being made righteous because the eternal Word is spoken into the soul by the Holy Spirit in justification. Newman identifies this with 'the gift of righteousness' (Romans 5:17) and calls it the 'doctrine of the justifying presence'. The justifying presence is an imparted righteousness, in distinction from both the Protestant notion of imputed and Roman Catholic idea of inherent righteousness. The justifying presence comes through the sacraments, creates faith in the human soul, and begins a renewal in good works, all of which in different ways justify. The divine inhabitation of the Holy Spirit in the soul is the formal cause of justification by causing a duplex iustitia of both Christ's imputed righteousness and by beginning an actual righteousness in renewal. Newman's via media 'doctrine of the justifying presence' has great ecumenical promise because it shows how the trinitarian grammar of justification necessarily causes renewal through divine inhabitation.

The result is a fascinating picture of the struggle and ultimate failure of the movement - a loss, Butler shows, not to the ritualist opponents against whom they struggled for the better part of the century, but to the liberal forces of the secularized twentieth century.

This book is a systematic study of religious morality in the works of John Henry Newman (1801-1890). The work considers Newman’s widely discussed views on conscience and assent, analyzing his understanding of moral law and its relation to the development of moral doctrine in Church tradition. By integrating Newman’s religious epistemology and theological method, the author explores the hermeneutics of the imagination in moral decision-making: the imagination enables us to interpret complex reality in a practical manner, to relate belief with action. The analysis bridges philosophical and religious discourse, discussing three related categories. The first deals with Newman’s commitment to truth and holiness whereby he connects the realm of doctrine with the realm of salvation. The second category considers theoretical foundations of religious morality, and the third category explores Newman’s hermeneutics of the imagination to clarify his view of moral law, moral conscience, and Church tradition as practical foundations of religious morality. The author explains how secular reason in moral discernment can elicit religious significance. As a result, Church tradition should develop doctrine and foster holiness by being receptive to emerging experiences and cultural change. John Henry Newman was a highly controversial figure and his insightful writings continue to challenge and influence scholarship today. This book is a significant contribution to that scholarship and the analysis and literature comprise a detailed research guide for graduates and scholars.

John Henry Newman (1801-1890) has always inspired devotion. Newman has made disciples as leader of the Catholic revival in the Church of England, an inspiration to fellow converts to Roman Catholicism, a nationally admired preacher and prose-writer, and an internationally recognized saint of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, he has also provoked criticism. The church authorities, both Anglican and Catholic, were often troubled by his words and deeds, and scholars have disputed his arguments and his honesty. Written by a range of international experts, The Oxford Handbook of John Henry Newman shows how Newman remains important to the fields of education, history, literature, philosophy, and theology. Divided into four parts, part one grounds Newman's works in the places, cultures, and networks of relationships in which he lived. Part two looks at the thinkers who shaped his own thought, while the third part engages critically and appreciatively with themes in his writings. Part four examines how those themes have shaped conversations in the churches and the academy. This Handbook will serve as an important resource to critical and appreciative exploration of the person, writings, controversies, and legacy of Newman.

In the sixteenth century the Western Church was rent asunder by the quarrel over justification. Today scholars from churches on both sides of the controversy are carefully rethinking the question. Dr. Toon shows how contemporary biblical scholarship and exegesis are attempting to resolve the thorny question of justification without compromising the integrity of either side. Provocative and far-reaching in its analysis and conclusions, Justification and Sanctification gives the student an invaluable introduction while providing the scholar a fresh look at the issue.

Too often, the Reformers and their doctrines have been caricatured, misrepresented or misappropriated in the service of agendas they would never have recognized, let alone endorsed. Happily, there has been a great deal of fine scholarship in recent years that has exploded some of these myths, but it has not always been accessible to non-specialists. The intention of Celebrating the Reformation is that Christians today will find new cause to rejoice in what God did in the sixteenth century through weak and fallible men and women. These people sought, in their own context, to submit themselves to the word of God and lead his people in a godly and faithful response to the gospel of grace. Three sections deal with the chief Reformers, key doctrines and the Reformation in retrospect. Each contribution seeks to connect its subject to the present, making clear its relevance for today. The Reformation is not a dead movement but a living legacy that can still capture the imagination and encourage men and women in their own Christian discipleship. The contributors are Andrew Bain, Colin R. Bale, Rhys S. Bezzant, Gerald Bray, Martin Foord, David A. Höhne, Chase Kuhn, Andrew Leslie, Edward Loane, John McClean, Joe Mock, Michael J. Ovey, Tim Patrick, Mark D. Thompson, Stephen Tong, Jane Tooher and Dean Zweck.