Category Archives: Epistemology

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. …

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.

Knowledge and the Fall in American Neo-Calvinism (Bálint Békefi)

Articles, Bálint Békefi, Epistemology, Philosophy, Theology

“Knowledge and the Fall in American Neo-Calvinism: Toward a Van Til–Plantinga Synthesis” by Bálint Békefi

Cornelius Van Til and Alvin Plantinga represent two strands of American Protestant philosophical thought influenced by Dutch neo-Calvinism. This paper compares and synthetizes their models of knowledge in non-Christians given the noetic effects of sin and non-Christian worldview commitments. The paper argues that Van Til’s distinction between the partial realization of the antithesis in practice and its absolute nature in principle correlates with Plantinga’s insistence on prima facie–warranted common-sense beliefs and their ultimate defeasibility given certain metaphysical commitments. Van Til endorsed more radical claims than Plantinga on epistemic defeat in non-Christian worldviews, the status of the sensus divinitatis, and conceptual accuracy in knowledge of the world. Finally, an approach to the use of evidence in apologetics is developed based on the proposed synthesis. This approach seeks to make more room for evidence than is generally recognized in Van Tilianism, while remaining consistent with the founder’s principles.

Presuppositionalism in the Dock (James N. Anderson)

Apologetics, Articles, Epistemology, James N. Anderson, Philosophy, Reviews, Theology

“Presuppositionalism in the Dock: A Review Article” by James N. Anderson

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and debates over Cornelius Van Til. For many, the Dutch professor is a hero of the Protestant tradition—a brilliant reformer in the mold of John Calvin who sought to further the work of the Reformation in the areas of Christian philosophy and apologetics. For others, he is more of a villain—an innovator beguiled by unbiblical idealist philosophy who led a large faction of the Reformed church in a dubious if not dangerous direction. And then there are those who fall somewhere between the two wings, acknowledging that Van Til was on the side of the angels, and that he made some positive contributions to Christian thought, but nevertheless finding significant faults in his more distinctive and provocative claims about natural theology, philosophy, and apologetic methodology. …

If Knowledge Then God (James N. Anderson)

Apologetics, Articles, Epistemology, James N. Anderson, Philosophy

“If Knowledge Then God: The Epistemological Theistic Arguments of Plantinga and Van Til” by James N. Anderson

The two Christian philosophers Alvin Plantinga and Cornelius Van Til have much in common in terms of their religious upbringing, their education, their approach to Christian philosophy, and their work on the relationship between epistemology and metaphysics. In particular, both have claimed that the existence of God is in some weighty sense a precondition of human knowledge. In this paper, I review and compare a selection of epistemological theistic arguments inspired by their writings — three from Plantinga and four from Van Til — and through drawing attention to significant points of similarity and difference suggest some ways in which such arguments might be further developed with an eye to insights gleaned from these two thinkers.

Cornelius Van Til and Alvin Plantinga: A Brief Comparison (James N. Anderson)

Apologetics, Articles, Epistemology, James N. Anderson, Philosophy

“Cornelius Van Til and Alvin Plantinga: A Brief Comparison” by James N. Anderson

Note: The following comments were first posted to the reformed-epistemology discussion group in July 2001, in response to a query about the main areas of agreement and disagreement between these two Christian thinkers. I have corrected a few typos, made some minor changes of wording, and added relevant hyperlinks. …

A Truly Reformed Epistemology (Michael R. Butler)

Articles, Epistemology, Michael R. Butler

“A Truly Reformed Epistemology” by Michael R. Butler

Throughout the history of the church, apologists and theologians have adopted (sometimes consciously, but often unconsciously) epistemological views from pagan and secular sources in an attempt to defend the truth of Christianity. But as Greg Bahnsen has warned us, these epistemologies need to be investigated in order to discover whether they comport with Christianity. Sadly, this has rarely been attempted and thus Christian apologists have rarely had a completely biblical epistemology with which to defend the faith. …

Analogical Knowledge (James D. Baird)

Articles, Epistemology, James D. Baird, Philosophy, Theology

“Analogical Knowledge: A Systematic Interpretation of Cornelius Van Til’s Theological Epistemology” by James D. Baird

William D. Dennison in his 1995 article, “Analytic Philosophy and Van Til’s Epistemology,” argued that Cecil De Boer, Jesse De Boer, and John M. Frame misunderstood the epistemology of Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987). The De Boers endeavored to make sense of Van Til’s epistemology by examining his terminology and its historic philosophical usage. This led them to interpret Van Til according to a philosophical tradition he openly opposed: idealism. Frame followed, in Dennison’s view, a more commendable route amongst Van Til scholars as Frame recognized that Van Til’s epistemology is inherently biblical, even though Van Til employed idealist terminology. Frame attempted to advance Van Til’s thought, while cleaning up his complex idealistic language for philosophical clarity and the practical purposes of the church. Still, Dennison pointed out, what resulted in Frame’s case was a perspectival epistemology that neglected the “main rubric of Van Til’s own epistemology—the philosophy of history.” In Dennison’s estimation, the De Boers and Frame implemented analytic philosophical methods of interpretation that were inadequateto comprehend the holistic, redemptive-historical structure of Van Til’s epistemology. Dennison concluded, “Herein lies the crux of the problem: both the De Boers and Frame failed to perceive the importance and centrality of the ‘story’ of Scripture (redemptive history) in Van Til’s epistemology.” Furthermore, according to Dennison, to recognize the centrality of redemptive history in Van Til’s epistemology is to perceive nothing less than the influence of Van Til’s biblical theology professor at Princeton, Geerhardus Vos. …

Epistemology and Christian Belief (K. Scott Oliphint)

Articles, Epistemology, K. Scott Oliphint

“Epistemology and Christian Belief” by K. Scott Oliphint

The long-awaited third volume of Alvin Plantinga’s warrant series has arrived, and those who have looked forward to its publication will not be disappointed. Coming some seven years after the first two books in the series, this volume, being sufficiently different in its intent and subject matter, lives up to its already established reputation. It is vintage Plantinga—lucid, cogent, humorous, technical, enlightening, challenging, and entertaining—a combination rarely found in books of philosophy. …

The Old New Reformed Epistemology (K. Scott Oliphint)

Articles, Epistemology, K. Scott Oliphint

“The Old New Reformed Epistemology” by K. Scott Oliphint

What are the epistemological implications of a Reformed apologetic? The question is more easily asked than answered. Any Reformed approach to apologetics must be itself grounded in Reformed theology. In order to answer the questions, then, it would be helpful to see the epistemological implications of a Reformed theology first, in order, second, to link those implications to a Reformed apologetic. …