Book Review :
Classical Apologetics: A Rational Defense Of The Christian Faith And A Critique
Of Presuppositional Apologetics
Authors:
R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner, And Arthur Lindsley
Year:
1984
Pages: 336
ISBN
0310449510
All three authors of this particular effort in apologetics are associated
with the Ligonier Valley Study Center. They do not indicate who wrote which
sections of the book. However, each author advocates Reformed Christianity. Is
it true that a person must accept Christianity on the basis of faith alone? Is
there a rational defense of the Christian faith? This is the main ideaof the
book by Sproul, Gerstner and Lindsley, namely that Christianity is reasonable
and it is rational.
“Classically, natural theology does not stand in contradiction to divine
revelation nor does it exclude such revelation. In fact, natural theology is
dependent upon divine revelation for its content.” (pg. 12)
The book is divided into three sections:
Sectionone deals with the problems and methods of apologetics. They cover
Classical Natural Theology and place it in the crisis of secularism which has
worn away at the rational defense of the faith to the “feeling-oriented” appeal
to emotional connection. They cover the task of apologetics, the nature of
Natural Theology and Fideism, the Biblical evidence to confirm Natural Theology
and what we as Christians ought to do to confirm our walk up the mountain of
Natural Theology.
Sectiontwo deals with Classical Apologetics in relation to Theistic
Proofs, the Deity of Christ, and the Infallibility of Scripture. Here they
traverse the theistic arguments for proving God (Ontological, Cosmological and
Teleological) with sturdy persuasion and some new understandings. The second
was very interesting, and providing a great summary of different arguments,
including the ontological, cosmological and teleological arguments for God.
This chapter also has chapters dealing with the Spirit and Word of God.
Section three critiques the Presuppositional Apologetics. The authors
outline Presuppositional Apologetics, show from history the proponents
(Augustine, Luther and Calvin) who held the classical position in variance with
Presuppositionalism, and exhibit the starting point of the primacy of the
intellect and human autonomy. Next they cover such crucial elements as the Noetic
influence of sin, the Self-Attesting God and Analogical Thinking.
It deals with philosophy and apologetics to a greater degree and upholds
the classical positioning in contrast to the Presuppositional apologetics made
by Cornelius VanTil.
The authors should be enthusiastically applauded for insisting that
Christian faith is capable of a reasoned defense. They will not compromise an
inch with the destructive idea that heartfelt faith is without intellectual
reasons or the idea that to be irrational is a religious virtue. They maintain
that God commands believers to reason with unbelievers, not simply proclaim
that they must make a groundless, subjective choice. This is a sorely needed
emphasis today. We could not agree with it more. On their chosen method of
reasoning in defense of Christianity, though, we must agree much less. We must
find it, actually, contrary to good reasoning.
The book opens by identifying the object of its apologetical concern:
namely, "The Crisis of Secularism" (chap. 1). The central axiom of
secularism - and key challenge to Christianity in our day - is the view that
"All possible knowledge is restricted to the temporal" (p. 7). Man
has an unaided intrinsic ability to reach a knowledge of God, they hold that
"natural theology" (the human activity of devising proofs for God's
existence) is reflection "dependent upon divine revelation" (p. 25).
They tell us that rational apologetics as "pre-evangelism" can
establish the cognitive clarification of Christianity and bring the natural man
to an intellectual assent, but to take him beyond that to a personal trust in
the heart, emotions, and will is solely the work of the Holy Spirit (pp.
21-22).
In the last half of the book, our authors turn to a critique of the
presuppositional apologetic, especially as advanced by Cornelius Van Til. According
to the authors, Van Til is a "fideist" and, as such, holds that God
cannot be known through nature and theistic proof, but only by faith - a faith
independent of all rational evidence (p. 27, 34, 35, 185).
I think the way to understand the clash between presuppositional and
classical apologetics is to realize that their conflicting claims constitute a
strong case for a paradox in the Christian knowledge of God. However,since this
is a rather intense read about classical apologetics itnecessitates some
contemplation to work thorough. It is an excellent volume on the subject and I
heartily recommend this especially to them who have already become familiar
with the more critical aspects of apologetics.
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