“Frame on Van Til and Transcendental Arguments” by Michael R. Butler

Cornelius Van Til was the apologist of antithesis. He, perhaps more than any other Christian thinker, made clear that there is a radical distinction between the Christian worldview and those that stand opposed to it. It is not surprising, therefore, that a man who laid such emphasis on this distinction would also attract antithetical views of himself. Van Til seems to be either devoutly followed or scornfully repudiated. With him, one is either hot or cold; there is no neutrality. In his recent book, Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought, John Frame endeavors to move beyond these polarized views of the late Westminster apologist. On the one hand he rejects the “movement mentality” that has characterized many of Van Til’s followers. This mentality is typified by the conviction that Van Til’s thoughts and formulations are beyond criticism. On the other hand, he rejects the “debunkers” whose open hostility toward Van Til’s teaching prevents them from having any genuine understanding of it. Rather, Frame attempts to sympathetically and yet critically analyze Van Til’s thought. …