From The Word of God and the Mind of Man by Ronald H. Nash. “For twenty years or so, as a friendly critic of Van Til’s views, I have maintained that Van Til’s position entails scepticism. …” (p. 100) “Only recently, however, have I come to understand that Van Til had developed his own version …
It is critical in theology to consider whether the view one defends is actually derived from Scripture or is only, at best, compatible with Scripture. Consider, for instance, applying the question “compatible or derived?” to the various positions held on the topic of origins. While atheistic evolution is immediately rejected by Christians — and rightly …
Despite covering a wide and deep swath of theology in his numerous books and articles a lacuna remains in the writings of Dr. Gordon H. Clark in that he never wrote a piece specifically addressed to the topic of hermeneutics or Biblical interpretation. Though indeed no individual writing of Clark’s was dedicated to this topic—and …
Scripturalist Hermeneutics and Extra-Biblical Information Read More »
There are four terms commonly used in the discussion of the relationship of God and sin. In a sort of continuum from hard to soft (or heavy to light, etc.) these terms are “author,” “cause,” “permit,” and “bare permission.” The Reformed Faith, as exemplified in the Westminster Confession of Faith, strongly opposes using the word …
Sinclair Ferguson is perhaps today’s leading proponent of the “well-meant offer of the Gospel,” the teaching that God desires the salvation of all men, elect and reprobate as well. Proponents of the well-meant offer land into particularly difficult quandaries as the inherent unlimitedness of the position presses up against the limitedness of the Calvinist view …
A Quandary for Proponents of the Well-Meant Offer Read More »
Reformed theology has been growing in popularity. More and more churches and pastors are applying the term to themselves. Like Junior says to Pappy, “people like that reform. Maybe we should get us some.” Consequently I’ve noticed that people often come to hear of Reformed theology through some popular preacher or author who has embraced …
Calvin on John 7:38 – He who believeth in me. “He now points out the manner of coming, which is, that we must approach, not with the feet, but by faith; or rather, to come is nothing else than to believe, at least if you define accurately the word believe; as we have already said …
An article on “Surveying Presbyterian Beliefs” by Michael D. Bush in Theology Matters notes the results of a recent survey of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) members and ministers. For Bush “This survey makes it clear that while there are many faithful in the church, the PC(USA) remains ecclesia reformanda, a church needing to be reformed.” No …
First there was J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. Then there was Cornelius Van Til’s Christianity and Barthianism. And now there is Keith Mathison’s “Christianity and Van Tillianism.” Machen’s contention was that Liberalism is not Christianity but an entirely different religion. Van Til was making the same point regarding Barthianism when he likewise contrasted it …
Not So Fast! – Comments on Keith Mathison’s “Christianity and Van Tillianism” Read More »
My favorite source of historical information is letter collections. I’ve recently found these letters from William Jennings Bryan to Bible Presbyterian minister Roy T. Brumbaugh in the collection of the latter’s papers owned by Brumbaugh’s grandson, David Sinding. Whenever I find letters like these I wonder if there is some scholar, like a William Jennings …
Letters of William Jennings Bryan to Bible Presbyterian minister Roy T. Brumbaugh Read More »
In a previous post (Francis Schaeffer, Pseudo-Calvinist) I criticized Francis Schaeffer’s apparent lack of conformity with Reformed soteriology later in his life. But I also referenced there a 1948 publication of his indicating that he did hold to a Calvinist view early in his career. Now I’ve found something of his from earlier (1942) and …
I recently acquired a set of issues of The Christian Observer running from 1987-1989. This paper has a long history reaching back over 200 years and has at times been a prominent publication. I skimmed through these issues and thought it might be interesting to note some of what I found. At this period of …
This is a series of 36 lectures given by Ronald H. Nash at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. Though lectures of the same title were given in the Fall of 2001 (and released in 2014 on MP3 CDs), this series on iTunes was given in 1991 (and once sold as a set of 24 audio cassettes). …
Notes on Ronald H. Nash’s lecture series, “History of Philosophy and Christian Thought” Read More »
In The Word of God and the Mind of Man, Ronald Nash contends for the existence of both propositional revelation and “personal revelation.” Though to this idea of “personal revelation” Nash gives various other terms—including “encounter” and “event”—nowhere does he provide a definition. What he means then by “personal revelation”is impossible to know. It is …
The Trinity Foundation appears to have numbered each of the volumes they’ve published as a series of “Trinity Papers.” The first few books had the number labeled on the front cover. Over time it seems the number was less prominently displayed (on the back cover) or possibly omitted entirely. I’ve been able to accumulate information …
Followers of the theology of Cornelius Van Til have long argued that while there are “apparent paradoxes” in Scripture these are not contradictions in the ultimate sense. For example, in The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox, B. A. Bosserman explains, “When it comes to evaluating apparent contradictions, the believer has every right to …
From Paradox to Contradiction in the Theology of John Murray Read More »
I’ve put together the following bibliographies of some reformed authors whose books I’m particularly interested it. Please let me know if you have additional information and I’d be glad to update this post. J. Oliver Buswell Jr. (January 16, 1895 – February 4, 1977) A. B. from the University of Minnesota, B. D. from McCormick Theological …
The Reformed Faith maintains that the grace of God is the cause of man’s salvation (WCF 9:4, 10:2), that faith is its alone instrument (WCF 11:2), and that works are the fruit and evidences of a true and lively faith (WCF 16:2). With this in mind, it is important to note that there is a …
The movie Idiocracy portrays a dystopian era five-hundred years in the future where the breeding of the dullest has drastically lowered the average mental abilities of the whole society. An average man from our own times who finds his way there is found to be the smartest man in their world. In one scene he …
The Transcendental Argument, Its Got What Theologians Crave Read More »
Among the presbyterian denominations listed on wikipedia’s “List of Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in North America” is one called the Evangelical Assembly of Presbyterian Churches in America (EAPCA). To the best of my knowledge this group does not exist. On the wikipedia page for the EAPCA there is the dubious claim that they have 73 churches. …
Using God’s Money for Man’s Kingdom A Short History of a Financial Scandal by Rev. Douglas J. Douma Perhaps the greatest financial scandal in Presbyterian history—the failure of Cornerstone Ministries Investments (CMI)—saw the loss of over 100 million dollars. Yet the story of this scandal seems to be largely unknown to members—and even to ministers—of …
“Practical Apologetics” by Rev. Douglas J. Douma Keynote Speech given at The Geneva Institute for Christian Thought, July 18, 2018 When one hears the word “practical” he might be inclined to think of the philosophy of pragmatism. Pragmatism assesses the truth of a belief in terms of the success of its practical applications. The pragmatist …
[This essay was published in two parts; in the October and November-December 2018 issues of the Trinity Review. The pdf version is available here: Gordon Clark and Other Reformed Critics of Karl Barth] Gordon Clark and Other Reformed Critics of Karl Barth By Douglas J. Douma Introduction Proponents of the Reformed Faith—Calvinism—have long contended that it is …
Gordon Clark and Other Reformed Critics of Karl Barth Read More »
In his excellent book Reformed Theology in America, David F. Wells distinguishes five groups that might be said in some sense to follow Reformed theology. He lists them as “The Princeton Theology,” “The Westminster School,” “The Dutch Schools,” “The Southern Tradition,” and “Neoorthodoxy.” There are many other Reformed groups however that could be distinguished. Some …
Was Robert Lewis Dabney a descendant of the Huguenot Théodore-Agrippa d’Aubigné? I had once heard that the surname “Dabney” of Robert Lewis Dabney (1820 – 1898), a leading American Southern Presbyterian pastor and theologian, came from the Huguenot family d’Aubigné. That is, “Dabney” would be an Anglicized version of “d’Aubigné.” One of the most well-known of …
