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Summary: Dutch Calvinist Christian Apologetics At Its Finest
Review: Cornelius Van Til is a legend in the Dutch Calvinist circles. Descended from a country that was at one point 100 per cent Calvinist, Van Til takes the tradition of Dutch Calvinism seriously. But this book is not only for Calvinists. Roman Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans can use the strategic defense of the Christian Gospel in fighting enemies of Christianity.
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Summary: The best book on Reformed Apologetics
Review: My words would be too few and poor to reflect how important this book is/was on the Reformed apologetical method let alone me.
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Summary: Small but insightful...
Review: Originally a basic text for his introductory course in apologetics, today this small but insightful book will undoubtedly serve to introduce a new generation of students to Van Til's distinctive approach to Christian apologetics. Although a good starting-place for understanding Van Til's thought in general, yet the real strengths of this book are its clarity and conciseness (two qualities only heightened by Edgar's respectful editorial hand). Now typeset and published with translated foreign terms and annotative footnotes that open up Van Til's meaning to even the neophyte, this work is sure to become a popular entry-way into presuppositional apologetics. Modifications aside, another reason that makes purchasing this second edition worthwhile is Bill Edgar's introductory essay. An essay that in only fifteen pages manages to: set Van Til in apologetic and ideological context, clarify presuppositional apologetics against still too common misconceptions, and offer a prefatory tour of the content, style and features of this volume. A compliment to Edgar's Westminster predecessor and a genuine improvement over the first edition, I hope this newly packaged text achieves a wide reading and that additional volumes in what was the "Cornelius Van Til Collection" can receive similar treatment in due course.
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Summary: Great Intro to Van Til's Apologetics
Review: This book is a superb introduction the apologetic methodolgy of Cronelius Van Til. Essentailly, this book is a stripped down version of his "Defense of the Faith." It includes footnote commentary by William Edgar that prooves quite helpful at times in clarlfying Van Til's thoughts.
While the different camps on apologetic methodology are pretty toghtly drawn and there is rarely any conversion from one school of thought to another, this book did help me to embrace some of the key insights of presuppositionalism. In my opinion, the presuppositional approach is the only approach that takes the noetic effects of sin seriously. Moreover, presuppositionalism has the advantage of by-passing the failings of the tradition of philosophical theism that has dominated much of Christian theology (mostly owing to certain understanding's of Aquinas's work). Presuppositionalism does not begin with the lifeless generic god of classical theism, but with the Triune God of the Christian confession as revealed in Jesus Christ.
While many modernist Christians questing after the unicorn of absolute objectivity constantly accuse the presuppositionalist of using circular reasoning, they still have not shown it to be a viscious circle nor have they really engaged with the actual arguments that presuppositionalists make. Rather they argue by implication ("If that's true, then you're using circular reasoning, therefore that's false."), which as they should know is a fallacious argument.
Moreover, (and this, I think is a key point) presuppositional apologetics is also the only form apologetics that truely has any real resources for addressing the postmodern context. Presuppositionalists have been arguing along essentially postmodern lines for years by recognizing that there is no pure 'objective' reasoning and the our presuppositons largely determinw how we will reason. By recognizing the inevitable situatedness and intersubjectivity of all human inquiry and reasoning, presuppositionalists will have a much better time in the postmodern context than the classicalists and evidentialists who stubbornly cling to modernity and continue questing after the unicorn of objectivity.
There are certainly some weak points in the presuppostional approach. In particular is the rehtoric of Van Til, which tends to be violent and sometimes downright demeaning to those whom he disagrees with. He also oversimplifiies his opponents views incredibly (apparently the only options besides Van Til's view are to be either Arminian, Roman Catholic or a "less consistent Calvinist").
These faults notwithstanding, presuppositonal appologetics are, in my (non-Calvinistic) opinion the only way to really construct a viable apologetic for the postmodern era. And this book (along with Frame's "Apologetics to the Glroy of God") is an excellent place to start investigating such apologetics.
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Summary: Excellent Introduction to Van Til and His Method
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to Cornelius Van Til's presuppositional apologetic. Written as an introductory work for his students at Westminster Seminary, it includes the theological foundations of the method and the philosophical, epistemological, and methodological issues surrounding apologetics.Van Til spends much of this book explaining the shortcomings of the Roman Catholic and Arminian apologetic methods while demonstrating how the Reformed presuppositional framework is the proper framework to employ when apologizing from a Biblical worldview. I recommend this book to any person looking for a solid introduction to Van Tillian thought written by Van Til himself and including insightful comments by William Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster Seminary.
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Summary: Excellent Introduction to Van Til and His Method
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to Cornelius Van Til's presuppositional apologetic. Written as an introductory work for his students at Westminster Seminary, it includes the theological foundations of the method and the philosophical, epistemological, and methodological issues surrounding apologetics. Van Til spends much of this book explaining the shortcomings of the Roman Catholic and Arminian apologetic methods while demonstrating how the Reformed presuppositional framework is the proper framework to employ when apologizing from a Biblical worldview. I recommend this book to any person looking for a solid introduction to Van Tillian thought written by Van Til himself and including insightful comments by William Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster Seminary.
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Summary: Some recommendations
Review: This book is fine in principle, but very unreadable. Also, I prefer the approaches of Gordon Clark and Vincent Cheung. Search for "trinity foundation" to find Clark, and "vincent cheung" to find Cheung. All of Cheung's books are free for download, so I will start from there. May God bless you as you study to defend the faith.
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Summary: Impressive
Review: This is a great presentation of Van Til's style of Christian apologetic.
OK, I'l be honest, I was very eager to finish this book when I got near the end. But I did finish it, and I don't regret having read it! Van Till does an impressive job of packing very deep subject material into such a small soft-cover book. The subject matter is very interesting, but in the final analysis it is not easy reading. If you want an easy read, go elsewhere. If you want to gain a deep insight on the apologetical method of Van Til, who is quite popular in Reformed circles, by all means do read this!
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Summary: Timeless Principle, Tiring Presentation
Review: This title is the first one I have read by Van Til. I am beginning to understand why he is seen as such a classic apologist. His principle is timeless -- one's pre-suppositions and worldview must begin with the truth of the Scriptures. He shows why other systems of thought are flawed, in that they do not have their foundation on the Word of God. While his principle here, profoundly stated, is timeless, his presentation is tiring. This book is hard to read and to follow. Perhaps if Van Til's work had been more recent his presentation would have been easier to digest. Van Til also makes his point by focusing on Arminians and Catholic thought systems, rather than on secular thought systems. The author gives the impression that he is defending his own reformed position, rather than defending historic, biblical Christianity. While he IS defending the Christian faith, using a wider variety of examples would have made defense clearer and more compelling. This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Van Til is a deep thinker and a dogmatic, reformed theologian. I recommend it only to those people who have a strong interest in apologetics in general or in Van Til in particular.
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Summary: Timeless Principle, Tiring Presentation
Review: This title is the first one I have read by Van Til. I am beginning to understand why he is seen as such a classic apologist. His principle is timeless -- one's pre-suppositions and worldview must begin with the truth of the Scriptures. He shows why other systems of thought are flawed, in that they do not have their foundation on the Word of God. While his principle here, profoundly stated, is timeless, his presentation is tiring. This book is hard to read and to follow. Perhaps if Van Til's work had been more recent his presentation would have been easier to digest. Van Til also makes his point by focusing on Arminians and Catholic thought systems, rather than on secular thought systems. The author gives the impression that he is defending his own reformed position, rather than defending historic, biblical Christianity. While he IS defending the Christian faith, using a wider variety of examples would have made defense clearer and more compelling. This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Van Til is a deep thinker and a dogmatic, reformed theologian. I recommend it only to those people who have a strong interest in apologetics in general or in Van Til in particular.
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