The Trinity And The Vindication Of Christian Paradox

'The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox' grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the Triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, asthe ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til's trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non-Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox-the doctrine of the Trinity-along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine persons.

More than 1,500 years after the foundational church councils, the doctrine of the Trinity is still as central and as puzzling to theologians as ever. Reformed theology has seen increasing calls for the Trinity to live at the center of Christian confession, prompting the need for a fuller biblical and practical understanding of the subject.In recent Reformed thought, Cornelius Van Til and Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. have proposed important trinitarian theologies. Ralph Smith assesses these views and, filling out a Van Tilian perspective with Kuyper's lesser-known covenantal view, he provides a refreshing biblical, historical, and applicable perspective on this key Christian reality.

The Trinity is a speaking God: three divine persons who share the same essence and commune with each other in love and glory. How does this truth shape the way we view the world and our place in it? The Speaking Trinity and His Worded World explores these questions by presenting all of life through the lens of language. Understood as communion behavior, language has its roots in God himself. What’s more, God has used language not only to create our world, but to sustain and direct it. Because of this biblical fact, we live in a place that always and everywhere reveals the trinitarian God whose speech upholds it. All things “speak” of God by revealing aspects of his character (Romans 1). We live in a worded world, a world that was spoken and speaks of God. Thus, language is far more than a means of human communication; it is at the center of who God is, who we are, and what our world is like. Join the author as he walks through redemptive history and points out not only how all things can be perceived through the lens of language, but what this means for us practically in our use of language.

There is a broad consensus among biblical scholars that creation ex nihilo (from nothing) is a late Hellenistic concept with little inherent connection to Genesis 1 and other biblical creation texts. In this book, Nathan J. Chambers forces us to reconsider the question, arguing in favor of reading this chapter of the Bible in terms of ex nihilo creation and demonstrating that there is a sound basis for the early Christian development of the doctrine. Drawing on the theology of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, Chambers considers what the ex nihilo doctrine means and does in classical Christian dogma. He examines ancient Near Eastern cosmological texts that provide a potential context for reading Genesis 1. Recognizing the distance between the possible historical and theological frameworks for interpreting the text, he illuminates how this doctrine developed within early Christian thought as a consequence of the church’s commitment to reading Genesis 1 as part of Christian Scripture. Through original close readings of the chapter that engage critically with the work of Jon Levenson, Hermann Gunkel, and Brevard Childs, Chambers demonstrates that, far from precluding interpretive possibilities, reading Genesis 1 in terms of creation from nothing opens up a variety of interpretive avenues that have largely been overlooked in contemporary biblical scholarship. Timely and innovative, this book makes the case for a new (or recovered) framework for reading Genesis 1 that will appeal to biblical studies scholars and seminarians.

Vern Poythress, one of today’s leading Reformed theologians, has made many vital contributions to evangelical scholarship— particularly a vision to glorify Christ as Lord over all areas of human life in order to redeem all realms of human thought. In honor of his many years of faithful thinking and writing, twenty evangelical scholars have come together to produce a set of essays on topics of importance throughout his ministry: biblical exegesis, the doctrine of the Trinity, worldview, history, and ethics.

Cornelius Van Til's Doctrine of God and Its Relevance for Contemporary Hermeneutics seeks to answer the question, "What does Van Til have to do with hermeneutics?" It is argued that some of the most relevant concerns in the field of contemporary hermeneutics are similar to those addressed by Van Til in the area of apologetics. Van Til's approach involved a self-conscious consistency between method and theology proper in order to reason according to the Christian worldview found in Scripture. Just as one's apologetic method should be consistent with the theology revealed in the Bible, so also should one's hermeneutic. This work not only argues that Van Til has an important place in the hermeneutical discussion, but also demonstrates his place in terms of the main contours in his doctrine of God. In doing so, certain influences on evangelical hermeneutics are considered according to consistency with theology proper. Lastly, a Van Tillian hermeneutic is applied to the often-debated issue concerning the New Testament use of the Old Testament.

Does apologetic method matter? Helmut Thielicke argues that the method should conform to its own message. He thus rejects traditional apologetic methodologies beholden to supposedly neutral scientific and philosophical paradigms. Seeking to reform Christian conversation, Thielicke discovers a lost way of persuasion, that is, the table-turning approach found in Christ’s conversations. Whenever Jesus is questioned, he seldom answers directly. For he refuses to allow the conversation to be framed by an autonomous mindset, and instead responds with a counterquestion. Christ’s style of persuasion—as the controller of the question—subverts his hearers’ presuppositions and challenges their unbelief. This approach is the reverse of the defensive, answer-giving mode of traditional apologetics. In view of renewing Christ’s method, Thielicke insists that the task of apologetics is “something which is always on the offensive and, far from giving ready-made answers to the doubtful questions of men, turns the tables by putting questions on its own account—aggressive, violent, radical questions—and striking straight to the hearts of men.” Christian conversation must integrate Christ’s method with his message in order to advocate the message itself. For it is not the world that questions Christ, but rather Christ questions the world.