Journal: Christian Apologetics Journal
Volume: CAJ 06:2 (Fall 2007)
Article: Does Early Church History Favor Roman Catholicism? An Answer to Cardinal Newman’s Claim
Author: Michael A. Field

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CAJ 6:2 (Fall 2007) p. 37

Does Early Church History Favor Roman Catholicism? An Answer to Cardinal Newman’s Claim

Michael A. Field

Michael A. Field is pursuing an MA in Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary and is Design Center Manager for Electrical and PCB Design at Flextronics in Austin, TX.

In recent years many have become increasingly aware of Protestants converting to Roman Catholicism. But why should a Christian have to convert to join another church? One cannot simply “wade” into the Tiber River. Indeed, converting to Catholicism requires “total immersion,” and the implications of such a conversion are profound. This article is intended to offer an answer to John Henry Cardinal Newman’s famous nineteenth century statement, “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant,”1 which continues to be mentioned as a key factor in conversions (and reversions) to Roman Catholicism.

CAJ 6:2 (Fall 2007) p. 38

By way of background, the early Church adopted the term “catholic” (universal) to distinguish the apostolic faith from the many heresies that sprouted with alarming frequency and potency in the first few centuries. By the seventh century, however, the “Catholic” West and the Orthodox (“right–teaching”) East were diverging. The Western and the Eastern Church, both asserting exclusive claims to the apostolic faith, formally split in the eleventh century. What follows is an examination of the Scriptures, the writings of the early Church, and documents of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), which together illuminate key areas of the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” that the Protestant Reformation sought to restore.

The Ancient Rule of Faith

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17, NASB).

Since the beginning, discerning Christians have agreed on core doctrines while agreeing to disagree about other things (cf. Phil. 3:15–16). Indeed, the first Council of the Church (ca. AD 49) concluded with the words, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials. . .” (Acts 15:28). Today’s Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants all share key tenets of the Christian faith, but they differ in other areas of doctrine and practice. It is certainly vital to believe rightly about God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Distorted and false doctrines mislead people to false hope in “another gospel” (e.g., Mormons and Jehovah’s W...

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