Newman's Challenge
Jaki's readers know what to expect when they pick up one of his books: a vigorous defense of Roman Catholic orthodoxy, whether against scientific rationalism (as in 1988's The Savior of Science) or against Catholicism's own liberal wing. In this collection of previously published essays, Jaki sets out to win back Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) from progressive Catholics who claim him as a patron saint for Vatican II-style reform. Jaki convincingly shows that Newman, Rome's most famous convert from Anglicanism, believed firmly in miracles, angels and papal primacy--in other words, that his faith did not collapse into secularism, as Jaki believes some strains of left-wing Catholicism did in the years after Vatican II. He sheds light on some of Newman's lesser-known works, including his vast correspondence and an 1850 series of lectures to Anglo-Catholics. The author has read deeply in the Newman corpus; even devotees of the cardinal will likely find new material here. Yet Jaki's treatment of his subject is, in the end, tendentious--he uses Newman to settle scores with Catholic liberals, speculating about what Newman would have said on later controversies in ways that strain credulity. The fact that Jaki skirts Newman's thematic works, drawing largely on his overtly apologetic material, buttresses the impression that this is a selective reading.Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.