Comments on: Cornelius Van Til http://reformedforum.org/ctc9/ Reformed Theology Podcasts, Videos, Blogs and More Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:47:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cornelius Van Til and Karl Barth « Countercult Apologetics http://reformedforum.org/ctc9/#comment-122 Cornelius Van Til and Karl Barth « Countercult Apologetics Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:39:32 +0000 http://www.castlechurch.org/ctc009/#comment-122 [...] first addresses Van Til and his apologetic click here to [...] [...] first addresses Van Til and his apologetic click here to [...]

]]> By: Jeff Waddington http://reformedforum.org/ctc9/#comment-96 Jeff Waddington Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:26:47 +0000 http://www.castlechurch.org/ctc009/#comment-96 David An article by William Dennison touches upon our topic here and can be found in Kerux, September 2006, pages 13-34 under the title "Natural and Special Revelation: A Reassessment." David

An article by William Dennison touches upon our topic here and can be found in Kerux, September 2006,
pages 13-34 under the title “Natural and Special Revelation: A
Reassessment.”

]]> By: Jeff Waddington http://reformedforum.org/ctc9/#comment-93 Jeff Waddington Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:55:51 +0000 http://www.castlechurch.org/ctc009/#comment-93 David Good question. I should clarify myself. I meant to say that the God who is revealed in nature is the Triune God and not another. Now the question of whether he has revealed himself in nature as Triune is a debated matter. It would seem that God reveals himself in nature as existent, powerful, and holy, etc. And that we only get information about the Triune nature of God in Scripture and even that is revealed progressively over time. However, Augustine and others have argued for what are called the "vestigia trinitatis" or vestiges of the Trinity in nature (human nature being one analogy). Is Augustine correct about this? It is a question worth wrestling with and I have not given enough thought to the question to settle it definitively in my own mind. This is a good subject for a future CTC. But let's be clear that the God who has revealed himself in nature is the same God who has revealed himself in Scripture and that God is Triune. In other words, if I may draw on the simple point made by Irenaeus of Lyons in his argument against the Gnostics, the Creator God is also the Redeemer God. There are aspects of creation which seem to point to a Trinitarian God such as the relation of the one and the many and the relation of universals and particulars (facts and laws or one human being and human nature). So I guess I am sympathetic with Augustine even if I have not settled the matter. David

Good question. I should clarify myself. I meant to say that the God who is revealed in nature is the Triune God and not another. Now the question of whether he has revealed himself in nature as Triune is a debated matter. It would seem that God reveals himself in nature as existent, powerful, and holy, etc. And that we only get information about the Triune nature of God in Scripture and even that is revealed progressively over time. However, Augustine and others have argued for what are called the “vestigia trinitatis” or vestiges of the Trinity in nature (human nature being one analogy). Is Augustine correct about this? It is a question worth wrestling with and I have not given enough thought to the question to settle it definitively in my own mind.

This is a good subject for a future CTC.

But let’s be clear that the God who has revealed himself in nature is the same God who has revealed himself in Scripture and that God is Triune. In other words, if I may draw on the simple point made by Irenaeus of Lyons in his argument against the Gnostics, the Creator God is also the Redeemer God. There are aspects of creation which seem to point to a Trinitarian God such as the relation of the one and the many and the relation of universals and particulars (facts and laws or one human being and human nature). So I guess I am sympathetic with Augustine even if I have not settled the matter.

]]> By: David M Cornette http://reformedforum.org/ctc9/#comment-86 David M Cornette Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:09:13 +0000 http://www.castlechurch.org/ctc009/#comment-86 Gratitude. Excellent! Gentlemen, here is what I love about these episodes. I'm Van Tilian, as they say, yet as you all would affirm, reading Van Til is not a walk in the park. Many of us suspect that we have grasped what Van Til is positing, but are never quite sure because it is deep and rich. So then, listening to this discussion does two wonderful things for me: 1) Clarifies the Presuppositional perspective, increasing my confidence, and (especially) 2) Explains other views out there, ones which I don't have time to study, or perhaps am not aware of. I've read other apologetics views, but for the most part, I won't go out of my way to purchase books “from the other side” because my time is limited. So thank you for such a wonderful reflection on this important issue. Question. I'm not sure how natural reveals a specifically Triune God. Did I hear you incorrectly? Yes, nature reveals the “God of the Bible,” not merely the idea of a divine being. But I understand this to mean that every "creature" has the imprint of the "Creator" on our heart, the seed of divinity. But how could we possibly argue for the Triune God from nature to an unbeliever? It doesn't seem that this can be accomplished apart from the revelation of this Triune God found in the Word of God. Gratitude. Excellent! Gentlemen, here is what I love about these episodes. I’m Van Tilian, as they say, yet as you all would affirm, reading Van Til is not a walk in the park. Many of us suspect that we have grasped what Van Til is positing, but are never quite sure because it is deep and rich. So then, listening to this discussion does two wonderful things for me: 1) Clarifies the Presuppositional perspective, increasing my confidence, and (especially) 2) Explains other views out there, ones which I don’t have time to study, or perhaps am not aware of. I’ve read other apologetics views, but for the most part, I won’t go out of my way to purchase books “from the other side” because my time is limited. So thank you for such a wonderful reflection on this important issue.

Question. I’m not sure how natural reveals a specifically Triune God. Did I hear you incorrectly? Yes, nature reveals the “God of the Bible,” not merely the idea of a divine being. But I understand this to mean that every “creature” has the imprint of the “Creator” on our heart, the seed of divinity. But how could we possibly argue for the Triune God from nature to an unbeliever? It doesn’t seem that this can be accomplished apart from the revelation of this Triune God found in the Word of God.

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