Kind of a Van Til Joke

[RamistThomist]

I was listening to a Bruce McCormack lecture he gave on Karl Barth at Westminster Philly for Prof Edgar's apologetics class. In the introductory remarks, he noted the irony of he, being a Princeton fellow, speaking at Westminster and speaking of Van Til's nemesis. McCormack said the only time he heard Van Til speak was when he was a student at Covenant Seminary. According to him, Van Til said, "If the Russians decide to nuke America, they would have to take out the intellectual institutions, which meant the Reformed ones. Philly and Grand Rapids will be nuked." And he left it there.

Supposedly there was this awkward silence implying that Covenant seminary wasn't really Reformed. I thought it was funny, in a nerdy theology way.

 

[lynnie]

Interesting.

Not funny....I am downwind of WTS and we have a modified fallout shelter in the basement, and a nukalert, and water and so forth. It's coming....when, not if.

My husband was intrigued. The dark principalities in high places know where the centers of teaching truth are. Of course maybe some little old lady in the middle of nowhere fervently praying night and day may be the biggest threat, so who knows where the nukes will hit.

I realize I missed your point, but the discussion of who is "really reformed" is one I'll pass on.

 

[RamistThomist]

Indeed. It might not have been intended as a joke. Van Til had a truly unique sense of humor and he was probably serious.