It is reported that the great church historian Jaroslav Pelikan was once asked who he thought the greatest modern theologian was. Rather than Barth, Schleiermacher, Bonhoeffer, Tillich, Niebuhr or any of the other more obvious choices, he replied without hesitation that his vote went to John Henry Cardinal Newman. Why do you think Pelikan would say this? Obviously it has someting to do with the fact that he, like Newman ended up migrating from a Protestant tradition to the historical apostolic churches, a decision which Pelikan must have thought had great theological importance. But, what really was it that Pelikan identified as unique to Newman that made him so important among modern theologians?
Category Archives: John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman: The Greatest Modern Theologian?
Posted by Halden
on April 8, 2008
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