The Hierarchy of Truths

If you've ever encountered the term "The Hierarchy of Truths" before, at least in the context of the faith, you may have wondered exactly what was being referred to. It's a term which wasn't necessarily used very often in years past, until Vatican II made reference to it. And since that time, it has occasionally been interpreted incorrectly to mean that some articles of the faith are less "certain" than others. This is not so! It rather refers to the fact that some articles of the faith are more central than others, which have a dependent relationship to them.

Enter the fearless purveyor of truth, Professor Douglas Bushman (yes, the same one teaching my IPT courses!). An excellent article of his on the very subject is currently available via Ignatius Insight, which I recommend for your reading pleasure. Note the logical progression of thought in his writing, the precision of his terminology, and the importance he attaches to providing defininitions for essential phrases or terms. This is exactly how his mind works. And more importantly, the way he expects every single one of my papers to be crafted... Now you can see why I am often up late at night doing homework!