Calvin vs. Pascal: Were The Jansenists just Nicodemites?

This post was originally a paper I wrote for Dr. Scott Manetsch's church history class on Calvin at TEDS. Hope you enjoy! B.B. Warfield famously proclaimed that Augustine gave us the Reformation, “…the Reformation, inwardly considered, was just the ultimate triumph of Augustine’s doctrine of grace over Augustine’s doctrine of the Church.”[1] It was this...

Did Willy the Whale Shark Choose to Swallow Jonah?

Willy: “… well, so rather than deal with indigestion the whole trip, I made myself yak over by Nineveh.” Bob: “Woah, that’s quite a story, Willy. I guess that’s why us whale sharks ought to just stick to plankton, huh?” Willy: “Yeah, Bob, obviously I know we aren’t supposed to eat bearded Middle Eastern men,...

Some Personal Reflections on Van Til’s Transcendental Argument

“For man self-consciousness presupposes God-consciousness.” -Van Til, Defense of the Faith, pg. 113 There are a couple different facets to Van Til's Transcendental Argument for God, or “TAG”. Some people would even say that there are 3 perspectives on TAG- a normative perspective (the essence of TAG), a situational perspective (TAG applied in different ways...

Answering The Euthyphro Dilemma with C.S. Lewis and Cornelius Van Til

The Euthyphro Dilemma is interesting enough on it’s own, but recently it became even more interesting for me when I stumbled upon somewhat of a debate between C.S. Lewis and Cornelius Van Til, two of my favorite Christian apologists. While I find a lot of similarity in the thought of these two (like their views...

Does Everything Happen For A Reason?

I hate clichés as much as-if not more than- the next guy, but not all clichés are created equal. So let's not judge a cliché by it's cover, it's the thought that counts, right? I guess time will tell. Right now I want to take some time to consider a cliché that's a real diamond...

God Saves All Whom He Draws

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." -Jesus, The Gospel according to John, Chapter 6, verse 44  Who does God the Father draw to His Son? This has been an in house debate amongst Christians for some time now. In this post, I'm going to argue that all who...

What’s So Amazing about Grace?

Hopefully you're familiar with John Newton's wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace. It has to be one of the greatest and most widely known songs in history. If you aren't familiar with it give 'er a listen real quick so this post makes sense to you. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like...

Those Who Defend Free Will, Wreck It.

"So Augustine is right when he so often repeats the memorable saying that 'those who defend free will wreck it, instead of making it secure."   -John Calvin quoting St. Augustine in the 1541 edition of The Institutes There is an on going debate throughout the history of philosophy about free will and determinism. Do we...

If God’s Sooo Sovereign, Why Do You Pray?

I have a very high view of God's sovereignty. I believe God is in control of everything and He has predestined every event that takes place and every fact that is a fact. Holding this view, and being vocal about it, has prompted lots of people, both Christian and non-Christian, to ask me: "If God's...