The Development of Doctrine in the Church

The Christian faith is based ultimately on Scripture, and most denominations also base their system of doctrine on Scripture. This system is set forth in creeds, confessions of faith, and articles of religion. In this important book Peter Toon discusses the development of doctrine in the church–that is, the attempt to answer questions concerning the nature of doctrine and its relationship to the church. Toon examines the thought of those who have studied and written about the development of doctrine from the nineteenth century to the present. John Henry Newman, Robert Rainey, James Orr, and Karl Rahner are among those whose work is considered here. Toon concludes that we need a way of understanding development that does justice to the unique place of Scripture, to the reality of human society in which the Bible is studied, to the historical situation in which Christians form doctrine, and to the explication of doctrine in precise intellectual terms. ""Future studies of the development of Christian doctrine will have to regard Dr. Toon's splendid book as their indispensable starting point."" –Ronald Nash, Western Kentucky University The Reverend Dr. Peter Toon, (1939-2009), received his D.Phil. from Oxford. He was ordained a priest in the Church of England. He taught theology in both England and America, and was also a visiting professor and guest lecturer at a variety of seminaries and universities in Asia, Europe, and Australia. Dr. Toon was a parish priest and a recent past-president of the Prayer Book Society of the USA.