Description

Biography of John Henry Newman, a 19th century British theologian and historian. Newman was raised in the Anglican Church and became an Anglican priest and a professor at Oxford. Over time he became critical of both the evangelical emphasis on dramatic personal conversion as well as the merely academic or intellectual Christianity that was common at Oxford. He believed in the need for critical thinking as well as intense prayerful devotion. This leads Newman to promote the idea of “via media” or a middle way between Protestantism and Catholicism. But when he offers a new interpretation of the 39 articles of the Anglican Church, he faces intense opposition from within his denomination. Finally in 1845 Newman becomes a Roman Catholic. His legacy is that of a prophetic thinker who's ideas profoundly influenced the Second Vatican Council of the 1960’s. Newman died in 1890 and was beatified in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.