Many who follow the theology of Cornelius Van Til also support strict subscription to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Examples include Morton H. Smith1and R. Scott Clark.2 Even a whole denomination, the recently-defunct RPCUS (1983-2020) was committed to both Strict Subscriptionism and Van Tillian Apologetics.3 But for all the support of the Westminster Confession among …
[I recently received an email that gave me a chance to write on this subject of Lutheranism and Reformed theology which has been on my mind for many years. I figured I’d share my response here in case it might be of value to others] The email reads in part: “You have mentioned that you …
There are no Briggs-ites, no Janssen-ites, no Fosdick-ites, and no DeWulfites. When liberals are removed from the church, it is done so under the category of heresy. Having no ground to stand on, they are unable to produce movements. Error, like a parasite, cannot exist on its own, but requires a large church organization to …
One of Francis Schaeffer’s greatest contributions was to warn Christians about what we now call Postmodernism, that truth-denying relativistic philosophy which in the last fifty years has had considerable and increasing sway over society. Schaeffer did well to warn us of it. For at least two hundred years the rationalistic philosophy of Modernism plagued the …
Christian ministers and theologians commonly note that our obligation to obey the magistrate ends whenever morality is concerned. That is, while the Christian is to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1), this is limited by the necessity to “obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) But recently I’ve been considering whether there are …
[This is the text of the minority report on the free offer of the Gospel written by William Young and Floyd Hamilton in 1948 in opposition to the Majority Report on that subject written by John Murray, Ned Stonehouse, and Arthur Kuschke.] On the free offer of the gospel, the undersigned find themselves unable to …
1948 OPC Minority Report on the Free Offer of the Gospel Read More »
To Think Christianly, A History of L’Abri, Regent College, and the Christian Study Center Movement by Charles E. Cotherman, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, 301 pp. Charles E. Cotherman has provided a valuable study on the “History of L’Abri, Regent College, and the Christian Study Center Movement.” While this might seem like an eclectic …
Review of To Think Christianly by Charles E. Cotherman Read More »
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 …
