Logic
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A Response To A Popular, (Yet Inadequate), “Reformed” Antidote to Federal Vision’s Use Of The Warning Passages
Like a robust Christian worldview, a Reformed system of doctrine should be consistent, coherent and explanatory. What this means is: (a) the components of a sound theology may have mystery but not contradiction; (b) although theological constituent parts should be assessed discretely, they must be evaluated in light of the whole so that each ingredient Continue reading
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Deduction, Induction & TAG
Deduction as a construct does not bring forth knowledge any more than induction. Inductivists try to move from what seems plausible, or considered most probably the case, to establishing veracity for a hypothesis. Induction is “open ended” because induction as a process is never fully exhaustive. Rather, it comes to an end once one is Continue reading
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Trinity & Paradox (A Defense of Christian Orthodoxy Against Claims of Modalism and Polytheism)
If God is one and all three persons of the Trinity are God, how does orthodox Christianity adequately deflect charges of modalism and polytheism? In other words, if the Father is God and the Son is God, how is the Son not merely an appearance of the Father if there is only one God (monotheism). Continue reading
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The Impossibility of The “Possibility” Entailed by John Davenant’s Hypothetical Universalism (R.I.P.)
The following quote is taken from a review of the book John Davenant’s Hypothetical Universalism: A Defense of Catholic and Reformed Orthodoxy. The reviewer attributes the quote to the author of the book. Broadly considered, we understand early modern hypothetical universalism to teach (1) that Christ died for all human beings in order to merit Continue reading
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The Failure of Classical Apologetics in the light of Biblical Contextual Reality (A Case For Presuppositional Apologetics)
At the heart of Christian apologetic methodology is the consideration of ultimate authority. How the authority of Scripture should shape the Christian’s defense of the faith is a matter of bringing every thought captive to obey Christ, (even as the Christian gives an answer for the hope that is in him, with meekness and fear). Continue reading
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RC. Sproul, Impeccability of Christ & Broadly Logical Modality
The Sproulian view of the peccability of Christ ends in either in an abstraction of the human nature from the second Person or else it attributes human personhood to the Son. Either way the denial of the impeccability of Christ implicitly, yet unwittingly, denies Chalcedon. (At the 21 minute mark I interact with Sproul, though Continue reading
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Lee Irons’ View of Unbelievers and the Christian Sabbath, a basic logic lesson.
Lee Irons maintains that the Sabbath is binding upon Christians but not upon unbelievers. If Irons is correct, then Christians may allow unbelievers to labor for them on Sunday, for instance as servers at restaurants and coffee shops. If Irons is incorrect, then Christians who dine out on Sunday are paying servers to break God’s Continue reading
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The Logical-Possible Chasm of Molinism
Consider counterfactual of creaturely freedom (CCF) p: If person S were in state of affairs C, S would freely A. C represents the relevant history of the world prior to S freely doing A. Within Molinism, given C, S always As. Therefore, if God wills S would freely A, God need only actualize S in Continue reading
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Infallibility & The Canon
Proof for the reception of the canon: Jesus promised to build his church. (Matt. 16:18) Jesus also told his apostles that those who received them received Him. (Matt. 10:40) The implication is that the building project of the Lord was to be founded upon the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus being the chief cornerstone. Continue reading
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Proof of Infant Baptism by way of Promise and Precept
Here is a link to a SS class that presents much of the same material. Proof-texting versus Theology It is the hermeneutic of the cults and not that of historic Christianity that seeks merely one or two Bible verses for all true doctrine. This should come as little surprise when we pause to consider that Continue reading
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Free Will and Compatibilism, a brief sketch
Discussions on “free will” inevitably lead to analysis of (a) moral responsibility, (b) the limits of metaphysical freedom – from autonomy and pure contingency to necessity and causality, and (c) divine foreknowledge. What is indubitable is that moral agents, when they choose, are morally accountable. Therefore, if determinism is true, then determinism must be compatible Continue reading
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Apologetics, Evidence, Proof and Persuasion
Can it be proven that Christ is risen? If Harry did not believe the Philadelphia Phillies won the 1980 world series, he would likely change his mind if it could be proven from Baseball Almanac. Similarly, if Harry did not believe Calvin Coolidge was the 30th President of the United States, The Complete Book of Continue reading
Philosophical Theology 