Without Excuse: Scripture, Reason, and Presuppositional Apologetics

Review\n"Without Excuse: Scripture, Reason, and Presuppositional Apologetics is an important contribution to the ongoing presuppositionalism-evidentialism debate. Particularly impressive is the depth of historical scholarship represented by many of the included essays. If readers should feel uncomfortable with the heavily Reformed orientation of most of its contributors, a suitable response would be the simple fact that presuppositionalism (with its attendant evils) has generally been promulgated by theologians and philosophers of Reformed persuasion. This book is a "must" read for serious Christian apologists, whatever their school of thought."
- John Warwick Montgomery, Professor emeritus of Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire; Professor-at-Large, 1517; The Legacy Project Director, International Academy of Apologetics\n"Recent work in Protestant theology and apologetics has often assumed that in order to be truly Protestant or Reformed one must be suspicious of older Christian conceptions of the relationship between faith and reason or nature and grace. Under the influence of figures like Cornelius Van Til, this has sometimes led to misguided theological conclusions and misguided views of how Christian theology should be done in the first place. But Reformed Protestants are increasingly pushing back against narrow (and novel) ideas of what it means to be Reformed. This set of essays makes a significant contribution to that effort, covering a wide range of topics in ways that are sure to help us think more carefully about how to expound and defend the catholic faith in the twenty-first century." - Steven Duby, Associate Professor of Theology at Grand Canyon University\nThe twentieth century was unkind to classical Reformed theology. While theological conservatives often blame liberals for undermining traditional Protestant doctrines, the staunchest conservatives and neo-Orthodox also revised several key doctrines. Although Cornelius Van Til developed presuppositional apologetics as an attempt to remain faithful to timeless Christian truth as the Reformed tradition expresses it, he sacrificed the catholic and Reformed understanding of the use of natural revelation in theology and apologetics in the process."The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made...so that they are without excuse," writes the Apostle Paul. Without Excuse seeks to grapple with this indictment and show how Van Til's presuppositionalism fails as an account of natural revelation in light of Scripture, philosophy, and historical theology. It argues that these three sources speak with one voice: creation reveals itself and its God to the believer and unbeliever alike. Contributors: J.T. Bridges, Travis James Campbell, Winfried Corduan, John DePoe, John R. Gillhooly, Nathan Greeley, David Haines, Kurt Jaros, M. Dan Kemp, Bernard James Mauser, Joseph Minich, Andrew Payne, Thomas Schultz, Manfred Svensson.