Christian Essentialism
K. Scott Oliphint returns to Christ the Center to discuss God’s attributes. Understanding God as He is related to creation is no doubt a complicated task. Traditionally, theologians have spoken of God’s attributes using the communicable/incommunicable distinction. While this remains a helpful distinction, Oliphint presents another distinction more closely tied to covenantal theology. Dr. Oliphint is Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westmister Theological Seminary and is the author of Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology.
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I figured you would like this one
What do you guys think of Van Til definition in the New Schaff-Herzog Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge “…The three persons of the Trinity have exhaustively personal relationship with one another. And the idea of exhaustive personal relationship is the idea of the covenant.”
I actually think this definition is slightly problematic. I hear echoes of Ralph Smith here. We can’t say that God is covenantal in se unless we define covenant simply as “relation.” The members of the Trinity become covenantal through the pactum salutis in the decree to save, but I wouldn’t say they are in covenant in their exhaustive personal relationships. The members of the Godhead are perichoretically related (coinhere, mutually indwell) in se, but I don’t see that as covenantal. Among other things, we’ll tend toward a social formulation of the Trinity if we follow this definition.
Jeff,
That is, of course, a beautiful definition. Though, as it stands, can use some clarification and unpacking.
Blessings,
[...] For those of you who love Apologetics (and I believe that every Christian should love Apologetics), you will enjoy listening to our latest interview with Dr. Scott Oliphint. Dr. Oliphint is the Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and is the author of Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology. You can listen to and download the interview here. [...]
I do think that VanTil was speaking in regard to the relationship between the members of of the economic Trinity, albeit, he could have been following Kuyper a bit too much, which is Ralph Smith’s problem. The difference between Van Til and Smith is clear from Van Til’s commitment to Confessional orthodoxy and Confessional Covenant Theology.
I’m not sure that I followed all of this one…
I am a weekly listener to Christ the Center. I have to admit, I had some difficulty following this particular episode. Apparently I am not familiar enough with the vocabulary and issues being thrown around in the discussion of the doctrine of God. What books would you gentlemen suggest to begin to get a better feel for some of the issues discussed (i.e. the nature of the incarnation, the person of God in relation to his immutability, etc.)?