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Stephen Morgan’s latest book, published in November by The Catholic University of America Press, will be officially launched in Macau on a date yet to be announced, the rector of the University of Saint Joseph told O Clarim. In John Henry Newman and the Development of Doctrine: Encountering Change, Looking for Continuity, Professor Morgan proposes a synthesis of the English theologian’s thought on renewal and continuity.
The rector of the University of Saint Joseph, Professor Stephen Morgan has been absent from Macau for the last two months and in mid-January offered a copy of his latest book – entitled John Henry Newman and the Development of Doctrine: Encountering Change, Looking for Continuity – to the Reverend Philip Egan. The donation took place during a courtesy visit Dr. Morgan paid to the current Bishop of Portsmouth.
Born in Wales, Deacon Stephen Morgan is one of the world’s leading experts in the theological thought of John Henry Newman, an English cardinal who was canonized by Pope Francis in October 2019, after being raised to the honors of the altars in September 2010 by Benedict XVI.
A former Anglican priest who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church, Saint John Henry Newman left behind a prolific body of work, where he promotes a deep reflection on the perspective of continuity and change, namely on how these dialectic forces influence the Church’s doctrines. The thought of Saint John Henry Newman, who was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII, laid the foundations for the Second Vatican Council, two generations before the meeting was convened.
In his latest work, Stephen Morgan proposes a synthesis of the English theologian’s thought on renewal and continuity and provides an “analysis of the attempts by John Henry Newman to account for the historical reality of doctrinal change within Christianity in the light of the lasting conviction that the idea of Christianity is fixed by reference to the dogmatic content of the deposit of faith,” the University of Saint Joseph said in a brief statement.
The book, with a foreword by Ian Ker, can be purchased directly from the website of The Catholic University of America Press and, according to Cardinal Joseph Zen, is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the theological legacy of Saint John Henry Newman in all its ampleness: “Anyone who wishes to take seriously the question of change and continuity in the Church’s teaching – a question that has never been of greater importance – will profit enormously from reading this book. I have no hesitation in recommending it to my fellow bishops, as the primary guardians of tradition, but also to other clergy, seminarians and the lay faithful alike,” the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong wrote in a critical book review.
(Photo from the University of St Joseph web page.)
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