A Christian Theory of Knowledge

What Theologians Are Saying

  • “The republication of this volume is most welcome. Fully consistent with the apostolic demand to bring every thought captive in obedience to Christ as that is to be done under the final authority of the self-attesting Christ of Scripture, the robust and penetrating theological epistemology this book provides is needed as much today as when it first appeared. Oliphint’s copious annotations throughout enhance its usefulness.” —Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary
  • “Every time I revisit his writings—which is often—I find my conviction re-inforced that Cornelius Van Til is the most important and incisive Reformed thinker of the last hundred years. I’m therefore delighted that Westminster Seminary Press is reissuing A Christian Theory of Knowledge. The book makes for a challenging read, but it is replete with profound and illuminating insights, and Dr. Oliphint’s superb foreword and explanatory notes make it much more acces- sible to readers unfamiliar with Van Til’s thought and the theological principles that undergird his philosophical analyses.” —James N. Anderson, Carl W. McMurray Professor of Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
  • “Cornelius Van Til’s writings continue to prove themselves helpful and incisive as the decades move forward. If anything, they grow in importance as the antithesis between Christ and the world becomes more evident in the twenty-first century. I commend this new edition of his work.” —Vern S. Poythress, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Biblical Interpretation, and Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary
  • “This splendid annotated edition will make key elements of Van Tilian thought accessible to a new generation of scholars. Readers already familiar with Van Til’s approach, and those new to the work of this most remarkable of theologians, will alike find much in these pages to help revivify, reinforce, and indeed rethink the apologetic enterprise in the twenty-first century.” —Christopher Watkin, Associate Professor in French Studies, Monash University
  • “I don’t agree with everything Van Til argued, but I never fail to be edified by his overall concern. The overwhelming emphasis has to be the attitude of Christian apologetics: We are not God. God has revealed himself, but we systematically ‘suppress the truth in unrighteousness.’ The way things are (ontology) precedes how we know them (epistemology). The humility of covenant servants before the covenant Lord must be preeminent in our thinking about how dependent creatures encounter an independent Creator. This emphasis, at the heart of Van Til’s Christian Theory of Knowledge, is a bracing challenge at a time when we think we are in the driver’s seat.” —Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

K. Scott Oliphint on Van Til's Guiding Principles

Related Resources

Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) served as Professor of Apologetics at Westminster Seminary until 1975. His work in presuppositional apologetics remain a hallmark of our institution.

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