Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Challenging the dominant Van Tillian approach in Reformed apologetics, this book by a leading expert in contemporary Reformed theology sets forth the principles that undergird a classic Reformed approach. J. V. Fesko’s detailed exegetical, theological, and historical argument takes as its starting point the classical Reformed understanding of the “two books” of God’s revelation: nature and Scripture. Believers should always rest on the authority of Scripture but also can and should appeal to the book of nature in the apologetic task.
Key Features
- Presents the classic Reformed approach to defending the faith
- Addresses systematic and historical issues
- Focuses on the authority of Scripture in the defense of the faith
Contents
- The Light of Nature
- Common Notions
- Calvin
- Thomas Aquinas
- Worldview
- Transcendental Arguments
- Dualisms
- The Book of Nature and Apologetics
Top Highlights
“Burgess describes common notions thus: ‘The Law of Nature consists in those common notions which are ingrafted in all men’s hearts,’ some of which include the existence of God as well as a general knowledge of the difference between good and evil. Burgess positively invokes Thomas Aquinas’s (1225–74) treatment of natural law and common notions to substantiate his point.10 In agreement with Aquinas, Burgess believes common notions do not require proof because they are self-evident.” (Page 30)
“Through the use of Burgess’s lectures, this chapter demonstrates that the light of nature denotes three things: (1) natural law, (2) human reason, and (3) God’s natural revelation in creation.” (Page 13)
“The Sabbath command is moral, but it is not a naturally revealed command but a moral positive command.16” (Page 15)
“Reformed theologians constructed their concept of common notions from the books of both nature and Scripture, from the testimony of pagan authorities as well as a number of biblical passages, most notably Romans 1:19–20 and 2:14–15.” (Pages 4–5)
“The ultimate source, therefore, of common notions is God, but the proximate source of the concept is the ancient philosophers—Socrates, Plato (ca. 428–348 BC), and Aristotle (384–322 BC) among others.” (Page 32)
Praise for the Print Edition
Reforming Apologetics presents a compelling case for the shape and content of Reformed apologetics by reconnecting it with the roots of the Reformed faith as found in the thought of the Reformers and Reformed Orthodoxy and by providing a profound and much-needed critique of the Neo-Calvinist approach of Dooyeweerd and Van Til. Fesko carefully examines the nineteenth-century idealist backgrounds of the Van Tilian and Dooyeweerdian approaches and demonstrates their flawed epistemology. He outlines the enduring strength of the genuine tradition of the Reformation, which begins with the authority of Scripture but also recognizes the presence of intuitions and concepts common to believer and unbeliever and of the natural law written on the heart--common grounds of discourse necessary to the apologetic task.
—Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology Emeritus, Calvin Theological Seminary
As one committed to classical Reformed theology and a classical approach to apologetics, and as one who has often been told that the two are inherently antithetical, I am encouraged that the resurgence of research into early Protestant orthodoxy is leading Reformed theologians to reexamine the conventional wisdom on these issues. While remaining sympathetic to Van Til and other like-minded theologians, Fesko has raised questions that cannot be ignored. Whatever one’s stance on natural revelation, natural theology, or apologetics, it is hard to believe that anyone would deny that this is an important book. It may prove to be a game changer. I hope it will prove to be a mind changer.
—Keith A. Mathison, professor of systematic theology, Reformation Bible College
Fesko writes with learning and verve as he ploughs up the baked ground of much current Reformed apologetics, letting in light and fresh air. His basic charge is that the apologetics of Van Til and Dooyeweerd is inconsistent in its basic method: they criticized other apologetics as unholy mixtures of the biblical and the pagan, while their own efforts did not escape from such ‘synthesis.’ In the final chapter, Fesko sets out afresh the methods and objectives of the classical tradition of Reformed apologetics. If you are skeptical about whether a book on apologetics can be good reading, then this incisive treatment will convince you.
—Paul Helm, author of Human Nature from Calvin to Edwards
Product Details
- Title: Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith
- Authors: J. V. Fesko
- Publisher: Baker
- Publication Date: 2019
- Pages: 272
- Christian Group: Reformed
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Apologetics
About J. V. Fesko
J. V. Fesko (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is academic dean and professor of systematic and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California. A minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he served in church planting and pastoral ministry for more than ten years and is the author of numerous books, including The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption, The Theology of the Westminster Standards, and Death in Adam, Life in Christ.