Philosophia Ancilla Theologiae

One thing that I've noticed in discussions concerning the Christian faith is the almost near universal view that Christian doctrine is somewhat static. Most people assume that the faith was handed to the Christian Church two-thousand years ago and hasn't changed at all. This is simply not true.

While the practice of the Christian religion may seems static, it is not and neither is Christian theology and doctrine. It has always evolved as the Church gains new understandings through revelation direct (in scripture or the Church) and indirect (through the study of nature and science). No real theological study of the divine would be an honest one if it did not incorporate indirect revelation. It has been this way since the beginning (the writings of Thomas Aquinas and John Damascene are a good classical examples) and continues to this day (ks. Dr. Wojciech Grygiel, Dr. John Polkinghorn or Fr. Dr. Michał Kazimierz Heller are good modern examples).

Like Theology, Christian doctrine is not some collection of static beliefs. Orthodox doctrine has always developed over time as advances in theology are made and accepted throughout the Church. The doctrine of the Trinity took over three hundred years to develop and wasn't accepted as orthodox until the Council of Nicaea. The doctrine of Transubstantiation took almost a Millennium to develop, the Protestant doctrine of Consubstantiation another four hundred and a denial of both by many Protestant denominations another two hundred. Even today, Christian thought on everything from Pneumatology to Ontology continues to evolve throughout the Church. Christianity is not a "static" set of beliefs.

Earlier this year, the Copernicus Center held an international seminar on Philosophy in Science. If you're interested in how theology is developing in relation to science, it is great watching (youtube link).