Category: Objections and Misconceptions
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Lutherans, and Muslims, and TAG! Oh My!
On yesterday’s Dividing Line (September 11, 2012) a caller (37 minute mark) asks Dr. White some questions about “apologetic frameworks.” You may find the program here – http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=5229. As usual I recommend listening to the program in its entirety, but I want to mention two links related to the aforementioned discussion.
The first link is to a post where I tried to squeeze Martin Luther into a presuppositionalist framework. I don’t actually think he fits into that category, but it was worth a shot. You may find the post here – https://choosinghats.org/2010/10/happy-reformation-day-from-choosing-hats-2.
The second is the article I …
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The Recent Rise of Covenantal Apologetics (10 of 10)
I began this series with the claim that covenantal (or more popularly, “presuppositional”) apologetics are on the rise. I noted that I don’t have hard evidence that there are any more people now who know what presuppositional apologetics are than there were people who knew what they were ten years ago. However, I have spent a fair amount of time familiarizing myself with the method and its practitioners and feel confident in asserting that there are. My stated goal in writing this series was to provide an explanation of the aforementioned phenomenon. The series consists of my observations regarding why …
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The Recent Rise of Covenantal Apologetics (9 of 10)
In my previous post for this series I provided a list of covenantal apologetic links. As mentioned in that post, a number of sites were likely left out. Like the previous post, this post will no doubt leave much to be desired in terms of how exhaustive it is. There are now enough new covenantal apologetics books coming out that it is difficult to list them all in a post like this one.
Years ago books like Every Thought Captive and Apologetics to the Glory of God were, other than books by Cornelius Van Til, just about the only thing …
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A Brief History of Covenantal Apologetics
From In Antithesis, Vol. 1 No. 1 September, 2011
The covenantal apologetic method is that method of defending the faith prescribed and described in Scripture. In order to avoid an obvious anachronism one might more properly speak of Scripture setting forth the foundation for the method which would later become known as “covenantal apologetics.”
Some of the texts of Scripture traditionally used to support the contention above include Proverbs and other wisdom literature, Acts 17, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 1, Colossians 1, and Ephesians 2, though many other texts appear in the relevant literature.
Rudimentary versions of covenantal apologetics …
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The Recent Rise of Covenantal Apologetics (6 of 10)
One of the largest contributing factors to the recent rise of covenantal apologetics is, oddly enough, the response of its anti-Christian critics.
Just in the last year or two, podcast after atheistic podcast has trumpeted everything from mere disdain for to the utter defeat of presuppositional apologetics. Podcasts that come to mind are Fundamentally Flawed, Skepticule Record, and Reasonable Doubts. There are others. Militant atheists are also mouthy atheists. On the one hand, they want to dismissively scoff at covenantal apologetics, making up some of the worst puns on “presuppositionalism” you have ever heard. On the other …
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Initial Thoughts on the Virtues of External Critique
Internal Critique
Internal critique is the method whereby a particular position is examined upon the basis of its own presuppositions. Presuppositions are the most basic tenets of a particular position or worldview. Assuming an internal critique is positively successful, the position in question will espouse tenets fully consistent with its presuppositions. Insofar as the critique is negatively successful, the position in question is found wanting due to inconsistencies, arbitrariness, contradictions, and the like.
External Critique
Rather than examining a position upon the basis of its own presuppositions, external critique examines said position in virtue of the presuppositions or derivative tenets …
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Nature and Scripture on Reformed Forum
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Christian Books on Homosexuality
A few people asked me about books on homosexuality. Here are three that I recommend:
The classic work on this topic is The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics by Robert A.J. Gagnon.
James R. White & Jeffrey D. Niell wrote what is probably my favorite treatment of it, The Same Sex Controversy.
Finally, Homosexuality: A Biblical View by Greg L. Bahnsen is available online for free.…