REVELATION AND REASON

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K SCOTT OLIPHINT & LANE G TIPTON

“Christian apologetics is, at root, a biblical discipline,” not primarily a philosophical one, say the editors of this volume. Nevertheless, the Bible does call us to give a reason for the hope within us.

The relationship between revelation and reason in apologetics has long been debated. If our defense of the faith is a rational enterprise, and biblical veracity itself is under attack, where, when, and how does revelation come into play? This question and related concerns are central to these essays in the Reformed apologetic tradition of Cornelius Van Til.

The editors explain: “Part of the purpose of this collection of essays is to set in the foreground the necessity of exegetical and theological foundations for any Reformed, Christian apologetic. A Reformed apologetic is only Reformed to the extent that its tenets, principles, methodology, and so forth are formed and re-formed by Scripture.”

Twelve contributors — including William Edgar, John M. Frame, Richard B. Gaffin, Michael S. Horton, K. Scott Oliphint, and Moises Silva — explore the exegetical grounds, theological foundations, and methodological implications of Reformed apologetics. They discuss topics ranging from “Epistemological Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16” to “Apologetics in an Age of Normal Nihilism,” from “Theologia Naturalis: A Reformed Tradition” to “Reformed Apologetics and the Cultural Dimension.”

These and other essays demonstrate the necessity of biblical truth, and the application of that truth, to apologetics if we wish to harness the beauty, richness, and power of the Reformed faith in our interactions with unbelievers.