Category Archives: Books

The Importance of Van Til for Today (Camden Bucey)

Books, Camden Bucey, General

The Importance of Van Til for Today by Camden Bucey

In The Importance of Van Til for Today, Camden M. Bucey offers a thoughtful reassessment of Cornelius Van Til’s enduring contributions to Reformed theology and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Van Til (1895–1987), a Dutch-American Reformed philosopher and theologian, was a significant figure in twentieth-century Christian apologetics. This concise monograph examines Van Til’s lasting influence and the pertinence of his work in contemporary theological discourse.

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til (Lane G. Tipton)

Books, Lane G. Tipton, Theology

The Trinitarian Theology of Cornelius Van Til by Lane G. Tipton

Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987) offered a confessionally Reformed doctrine of the Creator-creature relation that stands out as distinct in contrast to both traditional Roman Catholic and contemporary Barthian alternatives. His Trinitarian theology of the Creator-creature relation supplied a pioneering enrichment of Reformed theology in the traditions of Old Princeton and Old Amsterdam.

 

In this volume, Lane G. Tipton interprets Van Til in his own historical and polemical context and demonstrates how the immutably dynamic life of the self-contained Trinity bears upon God’s relation to Adam in the work of creation, the act of special providence in covenant, and the person and eternal Son in the event of incarnation.

 

Tipton argues that Van Til’s Trinitarian theology deepens confessionally Reformed Trinitarianism and federalism in contrast to medieval Thomistic and modern Barthian theological alternatives. In a period marked by theological decline, he strives to clarify and extend confessional Reformed Trinitarian and federal theology in the service of the church’s union and communion with the immutable person of the crucified and ascended Christ of Scripture.

Van Til & the Use of Evidence (Thom Notaro)

Apologetics, Books, Thom Notaro

Van Til & the Use of Evidence by Thom Notaro

What role do evidences play in Cornelius Van Til’s defense of the faith? How can Christians hold dialogue with nonbelievers, whose presuppositions conflict with biblical truth? Is Christianity capable of proof or verification?

 

The author gathers into this concise and readable volume the often misunderstood or neglected material Dr. Van Til has contributed on the legitimacy and role of evidences within presuppositional apologetics. When put to good use, factual evidences are shown to offer innumerable opportunities to direct sinful minds to the self-attesting Christ of Scripture.

Cornelius Van Til’s Doctrine of God and Its Relevance for Contemporary Hermeneutics (Jason B. Hunt)

Books, Hermeneutics, Jason B. Hunt

Cornelius Van Til’s Doctrine of God and Its Relevance for Contemporary Hermeneutics by Jason B. Hunt

Cornelius Van Til’s Doctrine of God and Its Relevance for Contemporary Hermeneutics seeks to answer the question, “What does Van Til have to do with hermeneutics?” It is argued that some of the most relevant concerns in the field of contemporary hermeneutics are similar to those addressed by Van Til in the area of apologetics. Van Til’s approach involved a self-conscious consistency between method and theology proper in order to reason according to the Christian worldview found in Scripture. Just as one’s apologetic method should be consistent with the theology revealed in the Bible, so also should one’s hermeneutic. This work not only argues that Van Til has an important place in the hermeneutical discussion, but also demonstrates his place in terms of the main contours in his doctrine of God. In doing so, certain influences on evangelical hermeneutics are considered according to consistency with theology proper. Lastly, a Van Tillian hermeneutic is applied to the often-debated issue concerning the New Testament use of the Old Testament.

Foundations of Christian Scholarship (ed. Gary North)

Apologetics, Books, Epistemology, Gary North, Philosophy, Theology

Foundations of Christian Scholarship: Essays in the Van Til Perspective edited by Gary North

Christian commentators have pointed to the contradictions of the modern world, and they have asserted that the answers to these contradictions can be found in the Bible. Yet whenever pastors or Christian instructors confront the congregations or each other with concrete requirements of biblical law, the instant response in that “the churches shouldn’t meddle in things that don’t concern them,” meaning politics, economics, or anything else that might prove controversial. The Bible has the answers for every problem, but these are supposed to remain vague generalities except when in accord with the accepted cultural heritage in question. …

Jerusalem and Athens (ed. E. R. Geehan)

Apologetics, Books, E. R. Geehan, Philosophy

Jerusalem and Athens: Critical Discussions on the Philosophy and Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til edited by E. R. Geehan

First published in 1971 and now back in print, Jerusalem and Athens follows Van Til’s brief and accessible introduction to his own thought with twenty-five critical essays that orient readers to important problems and issues discussed in Van Tillian apologetics. Van Til responds.

The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox (Brant Bosserman)

Apologetics, Books, Brant Bosserman, Epistemology, Philosophy, Theology

The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox by Brant Bosserman

The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, as the ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til’s trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the Christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non-Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox–the doctrine of the Trinity–along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine Persons.

Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought (John M. Frame)

Books, General, John M. Frame

Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought by John M. Frame

The insights of Cornelius Van Til have generated intense discussion among friends and foes alike. Until now nearly everything written about Van Til has come from either uncritical followers or unsympathetic critics.

 

This volume, marking the one hundredth anniversary of Van Til’s birth, combines deep appreciation with incisive critical analysis of the renowned Westminster apologist’s ideas. John M. Frame offers warm personal reflections on Van Til’s life and a close examination of his thought, including his interaction with prominent figures in the Reformed, evangelical, and secular communities. In terms of its spirit, scope, clarity, and profundity, this volume is must reading for serious students of apologetics and theology.