Jason Wallace on Critiquing the Influence of John Henry Newman

In this episode, we welcome back Pastor Jason Wallace of Ancient Paths TV to discuss some of his recent video “The Patristic Roots of the Reformed Faith”. Who was John Henry Newman and what does he represent to so many who likewise seek certainty in the midst of a chaotic and fallen world? What was his actual argument on the development of doctrine, and what are some reasons Protestants should be skeptical? What is really at stake in this moment in regard to the perfect storm of perfectionism, mysticism, distorted ecclesiology – and the activism that dominates so much of the frustration today? Listen in as Pastor Wallace takes us through the mess of history, and how Protestants should adhere to the standard that should be the basis upon which developments should be determined as legitimate and faithful, or innovative and destructive. Far from “ceasing to be Protestant” as we are “deep in history” – perhaps, the opposite is the case: To accept the truth of a messy history is to begin to be Protestant. Moreover, actually dealing with history exposes the twin errors of the fantasy of imagined unanimity and the false claim of apostasy and the need for restoration. Reform, not revolution, should be the Protestant cry - with the clear recognition about the necessary and fallible church being subject to the infallible Word of God. Far from needing a personal “burning of the bosom”, or prioritizing some ecclesiastic authority’s equivalent – the Apostolic authority is not found within one’s own heart, subjectively, nor is it found in a continuing (or restored) office, charismatically; rather, Christ and the Apostles’ authority are to be found in what we have that has truly and historically come from them in Scripture. Listen in as Pastor Wallace gives his earnest plea that the Christian message continues to be Christ and Him Crucified rather than either the hollow mysticism of a new monasticism, or a new Caesar and the tyranny of a “new Christendom”.

Video: “The Patristic Roots of the Reformed Faith”

Channel: Ancient Paths TV

“An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine” by John Henry Newman

• declared a “saint” by Pope Francis (Oct. 13, 2019)
• declared a “doctor” by Pope Leo XIV (Nov. 1, 2025)

“John Henry Newman, ‘doctor’ of the church. The most significant theological act by Leo XIV (so far)” by Leonardo De Chirico

Also mentioned:

“The Failure of Eastern Orthodoxy” (also here and here)

“Cyril Lucaris: Calvinist Patriarch/Orthodox Saint” (also here and here)

Also check out a previous interview here.

Other resources:

The Progress of Dogma by James Orr

Old and New by James Craik

The Courage to Be Protestant by David Wells

The Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship by Hughes Oliphant Old

Justified in Christ: The Doctrines of Peter Martyr Vermigli and John Henry Newman and Their Ecumenical Implications by Chris Castaldo

“No Longer Accretions. The Problem of Roman Catholicism in Dialogue with Gavin Ortlund”; Engaging Thomas Aquinas by Leonardo De Chirico