St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 6. On Justice, as a Principle of Divine Governance

About this episode

This episode discusses St. John Henry Newman's sixth Oxford Sermon, focusing on the balance of God's justice and mercy in divine governance.

"If, then, the infinite benevolence of God wins our love, certainly His justice commands it; and were we able, as the Saints made perfect are able, to combine the notion of both in their separate perfections, as displayed in the same acts, doubtless our awe and admiration of the glorious vision would be immeasurably increased." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons , delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism. In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman’s own conversion to Catholicism years later. These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. In this sixth sermon, Newman…

Topics covered

• justice
• divine governance
• religion
• theology
• faith and reason
• Catholicism

Keywords

• St. John Henry Newman
• Oxford Sermons
• justice
• divine governance
• Catholicism
• theology
• faith
• reason

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Oxford

Books & works: Oxford Sermons, Grammar of Assent, Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

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