State Newman’s Development of Christian Doctrine and relate it to the practice of religion in contemporary Nigeria.

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State Newman’s Development of Christian Doctrine and relate it to the practice of religion in contemporary Nigeria.
Newman is of the view that Christian doctrine must develop. Christianity is an idea which must develop.
o   Ideas develop through conflicts, disputation, critiques and distinctions that leads to consistency, growth, modification, clarification and change, that does not lose the content of the original idea.
Hence, there is the real, original, authentic idea and also the false, unfaithful, corrupted, inauthentic idea that lacks continuity. Analogically, Christian doctrine develops in like manner, that is, in reference to tradition. So, connectivity and continuity from the past to the present teaching shows authentic development in Christian doctrine.
Since this development involves explanation of doctrine which may involve multiple interpretations, there is need for infallible authority. Newman notes that this is found only in the Catholic Church because:
Protestantism: hold unto scripture alone (sola scriptura), no to patrology (fathers), no to          papacy
Anglican: hold unto scripture, patrology (fathers), but no to papacy.
Catholicism: hold on to scripture, patrology and papacy. Catholicism maintains the three using the infallible authority of the pope.
Consequently, he discovered through reading the church fathers that Catholicism is in communion with history and faith of the apostles (tradition). Catholicism is the development of the original Christianity described by the church fathers.
Nigeria’s situation
In the current religious situation in Nigeria especially with the move of Pentecostalism, Christianity has been reduced to private opinions and interpretation ignoring the papal authority. Pentecostalism in Nigeria, in Newman’s view is a distortion of Christianity because it lacks a memory, have no apostolic succession, no tradition, no authority and no need for living on. So for Newman, any religion that claims a supernatural origin in authority without obedience to the right authority from tradition, is not authentic.



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