Seeing the Church in danger from the government in 1833, the clergyman John Henry Newman wanted to 'look to the people' for help. The people of God were vital to the Tractarian (or Oxford) Movement which Newman, John Keble, and Edward Pusey led, and which hundreds of thousands of Anglican laypeople followed during the nineteenth century. The faithful were central to the movement's theological vision. Spiritually disciplined, the faithful would ensure that the Church's work in the world was...

This book blends historical, theological, and philosophical inquiries into what “modernity” means with the aim of showing how Newman can analyze, critique, and explain fruitful ways forward within a diverse range of subjects. First, it surveys historical and theological topics such as how Newman understood “modernity,” the sensus fidelium, the role of doubt and modern views of reason; Newman’s university ideal; and a return to the saint for much-needed anthropological insights. Second, the...

John Henry Newman (1801-1890) has always inspired devotion. Newman has made disciples as leader of the Catholic revival in the Church of England, an inspiration to fellow converts to Roman Catholicism, a nationally admired preacher and prose-writer, and an internationally recognized saint of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, he has also provoked criticism. The church authorities, both Anglican and Catholic, were often troubled by his words and deeds, and scholars have disputed his argumen...