Simple definitions are the best way to begin, so let's start with the term "presuppositionalism." Presuppositional apologetics is a method of defending the Christian Faith developed by Dr. Cornelius Van Til. Van Til sought a consistently Biblical and Reformed way of approaching apologetics, one that stayed true to a Christian theistic philosophy and made no compromise with unbelieving thought. He believed that the so-called "traditional" or "classical" method, derived mainly from Aquinas, compromised the Christian worldview in intellectually destructive ways.
The Presuppositional method is characterized first, by an acknowledgement that both sides of an apologetic encounter hold to certain assumptions about ultimate reality which control how they will view the "facts" in question; second, by a self-conscious assumption on the part of the Christian that the Biblical worldview is true and a defense of the faith constructed only on that assumption (in other words, he does not set aside his Christianity in order to investigate with the unbeliever whether or not it is true); third, by an internal critique of the unbeliever's worldview--examining whether the things he claims to believe about reality make his reasoning intelligible or possible; and fourth, by the demonstration that only by "presupposing" the Triune God of the Bible can logic, reason, science, etc. be made intelligible at all.
So we'll begin with the first characteristic next time: the impossibility of religious neutrality, inescapable "circular" reasoning, and how no one comes to the table with an "open mind."
2 comments:
I've read Jerram Barrs saying the same thing. Is Van Til, Barrs and Schaeffer on the same page?
Kind of, and kind of not. Schaeffer was Van Til's student, but compromised on the approach a bit by bringing in elements of the traditional method. The differences should become more apparent as I go on if you're familiar with Schaeffer's work, especially The God who Is There.
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