# Will the real Van Till please stand up?



## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

There seems to be a diversity of Vantillians ranging from Theonomist s to 2k people, what is the consensus of who is closer? My own personal opinion is they all emphasize different aspects of his thinking. We can be a disfunctional family but a family none the less.


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## Stephen L Smith (Jan 13, 2020)

I have reflected on this quite a bit. A true Van Tilian is:

Presuppositional. See Bahnsen's "Van Til's Apologetic" and "Presuppositional Apologetics: Stated and Defended" Both Bahnsen books go nicely together. There is a helpful discussion on the Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org/apologetics-and-systematic-theology-in-thought-of-van-til/
Covenantal. See Oliphint's "Covenantal Apologetics. There is a helpful discussion on the Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org/ctc289/
Trinitarian. Important for the 'one and many' problem. See Dr B Bosserman's " The Trinity and Christian Paradox: An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til," also Oliphint's "Covenantal Apologetics. There is a helpful discussion on the Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org/he17/ and https://reformedforum.org/people/brant-bosserman/
Vosian. See William Dennison's "In Defense of the Eschaton: Essays in Reformed Apologetics" There is a helpful discussion on the Reformed Forum https://reformedforum.org/ctc413/
Hope this helps.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## Taylor (Jan 13, 2020)

Well, considering Van Til himself said, "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy," it stands to reason that all true Van Tilians are theonomists. You just have to flesh out what "theonomist" means.


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## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

Taylor Sexton said:


> Well, considering Van Til himself said, "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy," it stands to reason that all true Van Tilians are theonomists. You just have to flesh out what "theonomist" means.


I don't think he meant Bahnsen's theonomy .


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## Taylor (Jan 13, 2020)

jwright82 said:


> I don't think he meant Bahnsen's theonomy .



I know. It was a joke (sort of).

Reactions: Funny 1


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## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

Taylor Sexton said:


> I know. It was a joke (sort of).


I know, I was going to do the same emoji but for some reason it works hit or miss.


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## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

It's the safer route for a true Vantillian would be to divide his apologetics, theology, and other matters up (only for the sake of analysis). A Vantillian can be theonomic, 2 kingdom, a Baptist, etc. So I would assume it would be better to analyze a certian aspect of his thought to be the particular standard in question?


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## Stephen L Smith (Jan 13, 2020)

jwright82 said:


> So I would assume it would be better to analyze a certian aspect of his thought to be the particular standard in question?


I made my points at post # 2 because I think first and foremost we need to grasp the fullness of Van Til's apologetic - it is indeed founded in a very rich Reformed theology. I believe we should only analyse it after grasping that fullness. The danger is that we piecemeal Van Til's thought and then lose the big picture.

Reactions: Amen 1


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## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

Stephen L Smith said:


> I made my points at post # 2 because I think first and foremost we need to grasp the fullness of Van Til's apologetic - it is indeed founded in a very rich Reformed theology. I believe we should only analyse it after grasping that fullness. The danger is that we piecemeal Van Til's thought and then lose the big picture.


Oh I completely agree. I guess my intuition is more middle of the road are closer but by piecemeal I meant probably as far as apologetical method Bahnsen. Theology Frame, Tipton, etc. Over all picture Oliphint, cultural awareness and engagement Edgar. But who would be the closest in all aspects? That's kind of my question.


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## Stephen L Smith (Jan 13, 2020)

jwright82 said:


> But who would be the closest in all aspects? That's kind of my question.


Did you listen to the Reformed Forum discussions I mentioned above. This one in particular is very insightful I think "Are All Van Tilians Equal?"

Reactions: Like 1


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## jwright82 (Jan 13, 2020)

Stephen L Smith said:


> Did you listen to the Reformed Forum discussions I mentioned above. This one in particular is very insightful I think "Are All Van Tilians Equal?"


Yes I loved it. It kind of got me thinking about I heard it a long time ago.


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## Stephen L Smith (Jan 14, 2020)

jwright82 said:


> middle of the road


In my country the law says we have to drive on the left-hand side of the road; in your country the law says you have to drive on the right-hand side of the road. The legal system of both our countries says it is wrong to drive in the middle of the road 


jwright82 said:


> Yes I loved it. It kind of got me thinking about I heard it a long time ago.


Listen to any Van Til broadcast you can find on the Reformed Forum. Tremendous!

Reactions: Like 2


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