Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) was one of the most significant Christian apologists of the 20th century. His thought has been praised by some and rejected by others, and often praised and rejected by persons who are otherwise in significant agreement on a multitude of theological points (i.e., by persons who would be theologically conservative and Reformed).
The contemporary backdrop of this paper consists of several skirmishes or debates within Evangelicalism: (1) the debate over “Christian Personalism” versus “Classical Theism”; (2) the question of “Reformed Thomism,” and the value or place of Thomas Aquinas for Reformed theology; and (3) the question whether Cornelius Van Til and his presuppositional apologetical approach are the best or truest heir of the Reformed tradition.
The literature on these debates is significant and growing. One might think of James Dolezal, All That is in God (2018), and more recently, Matthew Barrett, ed., On Classical Trinitarianism (2024). On Reformed Thomism and the place or appropriation of Thomas Aquinas for Reformed theology, one can turn to Manfred Svensson and David VanDrunen, edd., Aquinas Among the Protestants (2017) (more sympathetic to the value of Thomas for Protestants), as well as to Leonardo DeChirico, Engaging with Thomas Aquinas(2024) (a tad more cautious about Evangelical appropriation of Aquinas). Lane Tipton at Reformed Forum has produced several courses on this very theme, arguing that Thomas Aquinas should be handled with care and caution by Reformed Protestants (e.g., “The Trinitarian Theology of Thomas Aquinas,” https://reformedforum.org/courses/the-trinitarian-theology-of-thomas-aquinas-part-1/). Finally, James Anderson will soon publish a major study which is favorable to Van Til’s transcendental argument (forthcoming with Baker Academic). On the other hand, Keith Mathison has recently published a work arguing that Van Til’s essential insights are neither truly biblical nor Reformed: Toward a Reformed Apologetics: A Critique of the Thought of Cornelius Van Til (2024).
Against the backdrop of those skirmishes or debates this paper explores the doctrine of God in the thought of Cornelius Van Til. I argue the following thesis: Van Til’s doctrine of God is fully consistent with the classical Reformed tradition which precedes him (or at least a significant strand of this tradition). Van Til, at the same time, has offered his own attempt to slightly “reform the Reformed” (my language). That is, Van Til’s doctrine of God is quite clearly in the line of John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, and Abraham Kuyper. Van Til’s unique contribution, explored briefly, are: (1) “fearless anthropomorphism,” (2) “concrete thinking,” and (3) “limiting concepts.” By means of these three themes, Van Til seeks to clarify or slightly tweak the Reformed understanding, while clearly affirming the Reformed tradition which precedes him—including when that tradition speaks to the doctrine of God. This paper’s unique contribution is to bring Van Til’s insights into direct conversation with the contemporary debates or skirmishes listed above.