Watch two shewas fight it out.

If you are to tell what the Bible does say, you must be able to read the Bible for yourself. And you cannot read the Bible for yourself unless you know the languages in which it was written. We may sometimes be tempted to wish that the Holy Spirit had given us the Word of God in a language better suited to our particular race, in a language that we could easily understand; but in his mysterious wisdom he gave it to us in Hebrew and Greek. Hence, if we want to know the Scriptures, to the study of Greek and Hebrew we must go. I am not sure that it will be ill for our souls. It is poor consecration indeed that is discouraged by a little earnest work, and sad is it for the church if it has only ministers whose preparation for their special calling is of the customary superficial kind… If the students of our seminary can read the Bible not merely in translation, but as it was given by the Holy Spirit to the church, then they are prepared to deal intelligently with the question of what the Bible means.

In his biography of Edwards, George Marsden pointed out something that surprised me a bit.

During his stay in New York he began making entries in his notebooks on the mysterious revelations of the last book of the Bible as a framework for understanding current events. This subject soon became a lifetime preoccupation. […] “If I heard the least hint of any thing that happened in any part of the world, that appeared to me, in some respect or other, to have a favorable aspect on the interest of Christ’s kingdom, my soul eagerly catched at it; and it would much animate and refresh me. I used to be earnest to read public news-letters, mainly for that end; to see if I could not find some news favorable to the interest of religion in the world.”¹

1. Marsden, George. Jonathan Edwards. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. 48.↩

The aseity of God is the doctrine of God’s simplicity. Plainly stated, it teaches that God is not made of parts. When we say things such as “God is good” we do not mean that “good” exists outside of God, but that he actually is good (commutatively, good is God). It is at this point that Alvin Plantinga raises a concern which eventually leads him to deny God’s aseity. If God’s properties do not exist outside of him meaning that God is identical with his properties, God is therefore a property and cannot be a person. In order to maintain God’s personality, Plantinga sacrifices God’s aseity. Scott Oliphint summarizes the issue:

According to Plantinga, the notion of God’s simplicity is “a dark saying indeed.” It goes back, he thinks, to Parmenides, according to whom reality was “an undifferentiated plenum in which no distinctions can be made.” Plantinga has good reason to see the doctrine as “dark.” He is convinced that if God were identical with his properties, then, ipso facto, God would be a property. If Plantinga is right, then simplicity is indeed a dark saying in that its implications wind up denying the Christian God.¹

(Continue Reading…)

1. Oliphint, K. Scott. Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2006), 94-95.↩

The following is a brief list of books on apologetics in the tradition of Van Til. These are the books I have found to be most helpful in developing a presuppositional apologetic. These books aren’t necessarily an easy read, but for those seeking understanding in the subject, these are the writings I have found most helpful.

• Bahnsen, Greg L. Van Til’s Apologetic (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1998).
  This book is indispensable. I would recommend reading this book before all the other books (provided one if fairly familiar with presuppositionalism). Bahnsen provides tremendously useful footnotes that explain Van Til’s writing. Diving right into Van Til’s writings directly can be a bit overwhelming. Bahnsen provides an alternative that lets you get into the depths of Van Til while he still holds your hand so you don’t drown. The book is laid out in a way that lends itself to referencing - so you’ll be able to turn to appropriate sections easily when you’re looking for a particular topic.  Bahnsen is perhaps the author closest [very close] to Van Til’s position. John Frame strays just a little bit in a few areas (Bahnsen addresses these in the book). For those seeking a thorough explanation of presuppositional apologetics - this is the book.
• Frame, John. Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1995).
  This is another great overview of Van Til’s apologetic. Though the title may indicate otherwise, it is a sympathetic work. I found the discussion of the problem of the one-and-many to be very helpful.
• Notaro, Thom. Van Til and the Use of Evidence (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980).
  This small volume covers the much debated topic of presuppositional apologetics and evidences. It’s a useful book and provides a good overview of how the presuppositionalist [should] understand the role of evidences.
• Van Til, Cornelius and William Edgar, ed. Christian Apologetics (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2003).
  This book is perhaps the closest thing to an introduction to apologetics Van Til wrote. Bill Edgar annotates some of the more difficult sections. It’s a wonderful book, however it’s not necessary if you have read Bahnsen’s volume.
• Van Til, Cornelius. The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1955).
  This is the classic Van Til volume. If you only have one Van Til book on the shelf, this should be it. However, much of this book is contained in Bahnsen’s book. If you’ve read Bahnsen you’ll have already read the big points and heard the famous illustrations.
• Pratt, Richard L. Every Thought Captive. (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1979).
  This short book is an introduction to presuppositional apologetics aimed at high school students. It’s a great book and provides a Biblical foundation for apologetics. It is an introduction, so if you’re familiar with the subject, it is non-essential. This book is a great resource to point others toward.

There are many other great books, but these few will give you a solid foundation in presuppositional thought. Perhaps we could get Presbyterian and Reformed Publishers to package these together and offer them at a discount.

Reformed Theological Seminary has posted a number of courses in iTunes’ new iTunes U service. You can find out more at Reformed’s site.

HT: Tim Challies via Jacob Hantla