Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: Development of Doctrine (Index Page)

Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman: Portrait by Sir William Ross, July 1845 (the year that he completed his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and converted to Catholicism)

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General and Introductory

SHORTER PAPERS

An Introduction to Development of Doctrine

Development of Doctrine: A Corruption of Biblical Teaching?

Overview of Development of Doctrine (Transcript of a Television Interview)

Reflections on the Development of Doctrine

Preliminary Dispute Over the Nature of Doctrinal Development (Dave Armstrong vs. "thoughtspot")

Random Thoughts on Conversion, Development of Doctrine, Ecumenism, Etc.

C.S. Lewis on Development of Doctrine

LONGER PAPERS

Development of Catholic Doctrine: Evolution, Revolution, or an Organic Process? [my book]

Historical Development in the Understanding of Doctrinal Development of the Apostolic Deposit (Featuring Much Documentation From St. Thomas Aquinas; Also From St. Augustine, St. Vincent of Lerins, Vatican I [1870], Popes Pius IX, Pius X, Etc.)

Rectification of Some Elements of Michael J. Pahls' article on "Development By Rectification" (+ Discussion)

Anglican-Catholic Dialogue on Development

SHORTER PAPERS

Anglican Developmental Principles and What is "Possible" and "Impossible" (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Edwin Tait)

LONGER PAPERS

Preliminary Dialogue With an Anglican on the Nature of Legitimate Development of Doctrine (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Edwin Tait)

Anglican Anti-Traditional Principles of "Development" & the "Cult of Uncertainty" (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Edwin Tait)

Counter-Reply to Dr. Edwin Tait's "For Dave Armstrong: on development and ecclesiology" (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Edwin Tait)

Response to Anglican Edwin Tait, on Conversion and Historical Ecclesiological Arguments

Second Reply to Anglican Edwin Tait on Historical Ecclesiological Arguments and Development of Doctrine

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Baptism

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Apostolic and Early Church Teaching on Baptism, and its Doctrinal Development

Bible and Tradition / Canon of the Bible

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Reply to a Protestant Counter-Response on Development of Doctrine (Particularly With Regard to the New Testament Canon and the Papacy)
(Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Further Dialogue With an Evangelical Protestant on Various Aspects of Development of Doctrine (Particularly Concerning the Canon of Scripture)
(Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Ecclesiology

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

How Newman Convinced me of the Apostolicity of the Catholic Church

Was Conciliarism an "Orthodox" Option in Medieval Catholicism?

Eschatology (Last Things and Afterlife)

SHORTER PAPERS

The Development of Old Testament and Jewish Views of Sheol, the Afterlife, and Eternal Punishment

LONGER PAPERS

Eucharist

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Dialogue With "CPA" (Lutheran) on Transubstantiation and Church History

Eucharistic Sacrifice: The Witness of the Church Fathers & the Bible (+ Part Two / Part Three) (Dave Armstrong vs. "CPA")

Dialogue on the Development of the Sacrifice of the Mass in the Fathers (Dave Armstrong vs. "CPA")

God, Theology and Doctrine of

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Dialogue With A Mormon Apologist on the Christian Doctrine of God, and Doctrinal Development (+ Part Two) (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Barry R. Bickmore)

Inquisition and Religious Liberty

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

The Controversial "Torture" Issue as Related to Catholic Development of Doctrine on the Treatment of Heretics (+ Part Two)

Liturgy / The Mass

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Apologia For the Mass of Pope Paul VI, With Massive Historical Documentation From Catholic Tradition / Summary of Vatican II on Liturgical Reform (+ Discussion)

Counter-"Traditionalist" Argument From Liturgical Development: Method of Receiving Holy Communion (Dave Armstrong vs. David Palm) (+ Discussion)

Marriage

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Pope John Paul II's Teaching Concerning Marital Submission: Consistent Development or Contradictory Innovation? (+ Discussion) (Dave Armstrong vs. Ben Douglass)

Mary: The Blessed Virgin

SHORTER PAPERS

Dialogue on Whether the Assumption and Immaculate Conception of Mary are Legitimately Part of Apostolic Tradition (Dave Armstrong vs. James White)

LONGER PAPERS

"Live Chat" Dialogue on Patristic Consensus (Particularly, Mariology) (Dave Armstrong vs. James White)

"Whitewashing History": Critique of James White's Book, Mary -- Another Redeemer? (William Possidento and Dave Armstrong vs. James White)

Dialogue on My Critique of James White's Book, Mary -- Another Redeemer? (particularly with regard to the differing views on early Mariology of Protestant Church historians J.N.D. Kelly and Philip Schaff) (Dave Armstrong vs. "BJ Bear")

Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman

SHORTER PAPERS

The Philosophical Premises of Newman's Views on Doctrinal Development and Religious Belief

John Henry Cardinal Newman's Importance and Influence

LONGER PAPERS

Questions & Answers on Cardinal Newman's Philosophical & Epistemological Commitments (Contra Tim Enloe) (Dave Armstrong vs. Tim Enloe)

Protestant Contra-Catholic Revisionist History: Pope St. Pius X and Cardinal Newman's Alleged "Modernism" (Dave Armstrong vs. David T. King)

Orthodoxy, Eastern

SHORTER PAPERS

Indefectibility and the Anti-Ecumenical Orthodox Claim to Exclusive Ecclesiological Preeminence

LONGER PAPERS

A Response to Orthodox Critiques of Catholic Apostolicity

The Papacy

SHORTER PAPERS

The Development of the Papacy (Newman)

LONGER PAPERS

Dialogue on the Nature of Development of Doctrine (Particularly With Regard to the Papacy) (Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Dialogue on Whether Extensive Use of Biblical Arguments Reduces to a Quasi-Sola Scriptura Position? (Development of Doctrine, Tradition, and Implicit vs. Explicit Biblical Proofs. The Papacy as a Test Case) (Dave Armstrong vs. Christopher Parks)

Reply to a Protestant Counter-Response on Development of Doctrine (Particularly With Regard to the New Testament Canon and the Papacy)
(Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Reply to a Critique of my 50 New Testament Proofs for Petrine Primacy and the Papacy (Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Second Refutation of the Reductio ad Absurdum Argument for a "Pauline Papacy" (Dave Armstrong vs. Jason Engwer)

Does the History of the Papacy Contradict Catholic Ecclesiology?

Dialogue: Is the Vatican I Proclamation of Papal Infallibility Non-Negotiable and Orthodox or "Radical Papal Tyranny" and the Triumph of Ultramontanism? (Dave Armstrong vs. Tim Enloe)

Protestantism

SHORTER PAPERS

Is Development of Doctrine an Exclusively Catholic Concept?

Dialogue on Protestant Reticence Concerning Development of Doctrine, and the Catholic Claim to Apostolic Fullness (Dave Armstrong vs. Greg Krehbiel)

LONGER PAPERS

Refutation of William Webster's Fundamental Misunderstanding of Development of Doctrine

Refutation of Protestant Polemicist William Webster's Critique of Catholic Tradition and Newmanian Development of Doctrine (Dave Armstrong vs. William Webster)

Response to Rev. Michael Pahls on "Theological Humility" and the Protestant "Non-Quest" Regarding Christian Certainty (Dave Armstrong vs. Rev. Michael Pahls)

Purgatory

SHORTER PAPERS

LONGER PAPERS

Is Purgatory a "Place"?: Misconceptions From Fr. Ambrose About My Opinion (and the Church's View) / Also: Development & Alleged Historical Revisionism

Saints, Communion of

SHORTER PAPERS

Dialogue With an Inquiring Baptist About Veneration of the Saints and Development of This Doctrine

LONGER PAPERS

Soteriology (Theology of Salvation)

SHORTER PAPERS

The "Ransom Theory" of Atonement in the Fathers: Development in the Doctrine of the Work of Christ

LONGER PAPERS

Is Sola Fide (Faith Alone) a Legitimate Development of Patristic and Augustinian Soteriology?

EXTERNAL LINKS

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (John Henry Cardinal Newman: 1845; rev. 1878)
Introduction: The Importance of the Question [of Doctrinal Development] (from From Newman to Congar; by Aidan Nichols)
Conclusion: Retrospect and Prospect (from From Newman to Congar; by Aidan Nichols)
The Theory of Developments in Religious Doctrine, (Cardinal Newman - 1843; from Oxford University Sermons)
The Religious Movement (Dublin Review, 1845)
Cardinal John Henry Newman and the Development of Doctrine (Peter Walters)
A Response to Catholic "Inventions" (Phil Porvaznik vs. Les Wilcox)
Development of Doctrine (Wikipedia)
Catholic Encyclopedia: HISTORY OF DOGMATIC THEOLOGY
Newman and the Meaning of History (John J. Mulloy)
The Idea of Doctrinal Development in Eastern Orthodox Theology (from From Newman to Congar; by Aidan Nichols)
The Church and Infallibility: A Reply to Anglican Polemicist George Salmon (B.C. Butler; includes much material dealing with Newman and development)
The Test of Theological and Ecclesiastical Development (Bishop Charles Gore [Anglican], 1900)
Dialogue on Development of Doctrine and the Papacy (Phil Porvaznik vs. William Webster)
The History of Eucharistic Adoration: Development of Doctrine in the Catholic Church (John A. Hardon)
Development of the Immaculate Conception (Apolonio Latar)
Religious Freedom: Innovation and Development (Avery Cardinal Dulles)
Development or Reversal? (Slavery)(Avery Cardinal Dulles)
Dignitatis Humanae and the Development of Doctrine (Kevin L. Flannery)
The Catholic Church's Consistent Doctrine on Religious Liberty (William G. Most)
A Response to John Noonan, Jr. Concerning the Development of Catholic Moral Doctrine (Usury, Marriage, Slavery, Religious freedom) (Patrick M. O'Neil)
Torture and Punishment as a Problem in Catholic Moral Theology: Part I. The Witness of Sacred Scripture (Fr. Brian W. Harrison)
Torture and Punishment as a Problem in Catholic Moral Theology: Part II. The Witness of Tradition and Magisterium (Fr. Brian W. Harrison)
Vatican II and Religious Liberty: Contradiction or Continuity? (Fr. Brian W. Harrison)
The Center is Holding / The Second Vatican Council and Religious Liberty (Fr. Brian W. Harrison)
Pius IX, Vatican II and Religious Liberty (Fr. Brian W. Harrison)

Last updated on 9 December 2008

Orthodoxy & Citation Permission

To the best of my knowledge, all of my theological writing is "orthodox" and not contrary to the official dogmatic and magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. In the event of any (unintentional) doctrinal or moral error on my part having been undeniably demonstrated to be contrary to the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church, I will gladly and wholeheartedly submit to the authority and wisdom of the Church (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 3:15).

All material contained herein is written by Dave Armstrong (all rights reserved) unless otherwise noted. Please retain full copyright, URL, and author information when downloading and/or forwarding this material to others. This information is intended for educational, spiritual enrichment, recreational, non-profit
purposes only, and is not to be exchanged for monetary compensation under any circumstances (Exodus 20:15-16).

Discussion Policy, Socratic Philosophy, Dissings & Rah-Rahs

Thoughts on Amiable and Constructive Dialogue

Purely Slanderous Posts

Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.

--- John Milton

I Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect".

Most people I've had discussions with on this blog have been and continue to be very kindly . . . even though we have dissenting views. I appreciate it from everyone and continue to thank Dave for hosting this and welcoming us Protestants. . . . We often have extremely differing views, but I've rarely been treated harshly. I thoroughly enjoy coming here and discussing stuff with y'all.

--- "Grubb" (evangelical Protestant regular on this blog), 12-11-06 and 2-13-07

There isn't any way this guy should be taken seriously as a professional apologist. He's a guy sitting behind a computer, somewhere in Michigan.

--- John Q. "Deadhead" Doe (anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant), 17 April 2007

I keep coming back here, because conversation at other Catholic-Protestant discussion blogs tends to get venomously anti-Catholic [with] ad hominem attacks on anyone who doesn't agree with the blogmaster and his pool of apparatchiks, whether the dissenter is Catholic OR Protestant. Cor ad cor loquitur is something of an internet anomaly: we engage in virtually ANY discussion without being censored and yet still manage for it not to get profane, something I rarely (if ever) see anywhere else on the net.

--- "Jon" (Catholic)

I find your site very refreshing and very informative . . . It's nice to find people who realize that being ecumenical doesn't mean ignoring important differences in doctrine, but rather means celebrating all that we have in common, while holding fast to all dogma. Your defenses of Catholicism are very well-written and very thought-provoking.

--- Baptist seminary student

I guess then we can see how sincere you are about wanting to discuss scripture. That is, not at all.

--- "Hilasterion" (anti-Catholic Protestant)

Dave Armstrong writes me really nice letters when I ask questions. As someone ridiculed by the arsonists [Phil Johnson's blog], I have to have a liking for the guy. Really, his notes to me are always first class and very respectful and helpful. . . . Dave Armstrong has continued to answer my questions in respectful and helpful ways. I thank the Lord for him.

--- Michael Spencer (evangelical Protestant), aka "The Internet Monk", on the Boar's Head Tavern site, 27 and 29 September 2007

. . . even Dave Armstrong’s blog has had some basically good posts . . .

--- Steve (aka "St. Worm": Anglican), on Tim Enloe's blog, 10 June 2009

8 years. Wow! I can’t even imagine putting up with the apologists for that long. Now, I pity you. :-) Even as a Catholic, I’ve gotten into it with Bryan Cross and Dave Armstrong, both of which are completely frustrating to have a dialog with. Just going at it with the two of them made we want to stay away forever. Bryan, at least I can say is a good guy and truly does mean well; even if he does have amazing powers of sophistry – and he has an odd sense of “unity” and “ecumenism”. Armstrong on the other hand…. I’m still speechless.

--- Mark (Catholic) [link], on Frank Ramirez' ("kepha's") blog, fides quarens intellectum, 6 November 2008 [link]

Dave . . . rises to any challenges against the Catholic faith coming his way. He's exhaustive, punctilious and for most of his adversaries, quite aggravating. He's the Catholic that no one can seem to shut up, and this grates on the nerves of anti-Catholic controversialists, whether of the scholarly kind, or of demagogues, bigots, and sophists. Dave will perform a real analysis of their postulates, atomize their arguments into individual thought components, and judge every single one individually on its merits, and also within their literary context. Anti-Catholics lose patience very quickly under this kind of scrutiny; many of them escape it by attacking Dave personally. Yet the man is completely unassuming, a simple soul, living simply with no pretensions at anything. I would say that his is a monastic life of work, prayer, and vast amounts of writing.

--- Pedro Vega (Catholic), 11 June 2005 on his blog, after we met [link]

. . . not interested in serious argument . . . handwaving and pseudo-philosophical mumbo-jumbo . . . hysterics . . . martyr . . . immaturity . . . [like] fundamentalists at the Pizza Parlor . . . arrogant, smug, pseudo-philosopher . . . behave like an ass . . . braying . . . crybaby . . . no understanding [of] basic philosophical method . . . logical fallacies and valueless tautologies . . . smug assertions . . . name-calling . . . hollow ridicule . . . baseless accusations . . . [no] substance . . . [doesn't understand] science or logic . . . closed mindedness . . . ignorance . . . lack of mental prowess . . . laziness.

---several scientific materialists in a November 2002 thread about same (This is my favorite set of personal insults of all time, and a source of endless amusement :-)

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

--- Matthew 5:11-12

But no human being can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.

--- James 3:8-10

What a special blessing it was yesterday and today to have as my guests Dave and Judy Armstrong . . . Judy Armstrong is a loving brown-eyed beauty, the kind of wife and mother many families could only dream of having. When she and Dave look at each other, their bond is obvious, a long history of shared crosses and blessings with a respected partner and an attraction which still has plenty of sparks and sparkle. Together, they are rearing terrific children and supporting each other in ministry. What a blessing it was to have hours of private conversation with Dave and Judy . . . Who is this Dave Armstrong? What is he really like? Well, he is affable, gentle, sweet, easily pleased, very appreciative, and affectionate . . . I was totally unprepared for the real guy. He's a teddy bear, cuddly and sweet. Doesn't interrupt, sits quietly and respectfully as his wife and/or another woman speaks at length. Doesn't dominate the conversation. Just pleasantly, cheerfully enjoys whatever is going on about him at the moment and lovingly affirms those in his presence. Most of the time he has a relaxed, sweet smile.

--- Becky Mayhew (Catholic), 9 May 2009, on the Coming Home Network Forum

Dave Armstrong . . . isn’t just a narcissistic little jerk. He’s actually evil.

--- Steve Hays (anti-Catholic reformed Protestant apologist and polemicist), 13 April 2009

Let me just say a word here for Dave Armstrong. Despite his tendency to unload hundreds of pages and somewhat excessive self-promotion, he is a former Protestant Catholic who is in fact blessedly free of the kind of "any enemy of Protestantism is a friend of mine" coalition-building we've been discussing . . . Maybe he went through a 'I despise all of my past' stage at one point in his life, but at least now, he's pro-Catholic (naturally) without being anti-Protestant (or anti-Orthodox, for that matter).

---"CPA": Lutheran professor of history [see his site]: unsolicited remarks of 12 July 2005

Dave Armstrong is not merely closing the comments section of his apologetic blog -- he's getting out of the apologetic blog business entirely!

--- Dr. Eric Svendsen (anti-Catholic Protestant apologist), 4 January 2005

Thanks again for the great work you're doing for Christ and His Church.

--- Dr. Scott Hahn (Catholic apologist)

Usually the foaming at the mouth stuff is reserved for the Dave Armstrongs of the world. Get a real job Dave. Maybe you can debate people and lose for a living.

--- Bret L. McAtee (anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant pastor)

You are one of the most thoughtful and careful apologists out there.

--- Dr. Edwin Tait (Anglican Church historian)

I am reading your stuff since I think it is the most thorough and perhaps the best defense of Catholicism out there.

I have had many run-ins with Dave via email and he has been nothing but respectful and kind to me. He has shown me great respect despite knowing full well that I disagree with him on the essential issues.

--- Sam Shamoun (Reformed apologist who specializes in outreach to Muslims)

DA will use anything to attack the truth.

--- Right Reverend Bishop James White (anti-Catholic Reformed Baptist apologist), 28 March 2004

As for the body of your work generically considered, I think that certainly there must be some things of great value in your work . . . I do like your stuff on Lewis and Tolkien and “mythopoeics”. No doubt your materials on Mormonism and other counter-cult issues are valuable, too. I’ve read a few of your blog posts about abortion, and yes, those have been truly outstanding. Clearly you’re not some fringe kook just blabbing on a blog; you have a serious purpose in God’s Kingdom, and I’m glad for it. I have erred, I suppose, in not telling you when I found things of yours to be good, and so for that I ask your forgiveness.

--- Tim Enloe (Reformed Protestant apologist and controversialist)

Dave Armstrong is part of that narrow, clustered source of a body of anti-traditional Catholic thought . . . I feel safe enough saying that I think they have a hand in the destruction of the Faith . . . in general terms, I believe that they do immense damage to the Church.

--- "Emerald" ("traditionalist" Catholic)

I can testify to [Dave's] friendship with non-Catholic Christians personally; we built a good friendship when I was Anglican. He has always treated me with respect, never was he arrogant, triumphalistic or anything like that.

--- Bret Bellamy (Catholic)

. . . a moron . . . arrogant . . .

--- Brian Mershon ("traditionalist" Catholic)

I genuinely appreciate those few, like Dave . . . who are interested in the discussion in terms of both explaining their own views well and thoroughly and pushing people to do the same with their own. Based on my experience in this case, forming a dialogue successfully is like pulling teeth, no matter how sincere your motives. Of course, that just makes what Dave and others do (and the amount of effort it requires) look all the more impressive!

--- Jonathan Prejean (Catholic apologist)

When I was in a similar position -- i.e., when a lot of people thought the microwave had been going for long enough and I was about to pope any second -- a lot of Catholic e-pologists annoyed me to no end, badgering me about when I was going to take the plunge, etc., which only made my ornery nature want to stay away. Dave Armstrong was the Catholic who showed the most respect for my position. He asked questions, but he never badgered.

--- Greg Krehbiel (Catholic)

I admire, as ever, your fantastic and penetrating work.

--- Patrick Madrid (Catholic apologist)

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Development of Doctrine (Index Page)

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