Natural Theology, Experience, and Reason

Lane Tipton provides helpful clarification to Van Til's oft-misunderstood rejection of natural theology. Van Til strongly affirms both natural revelation and natural knowledge of God as inescapable and concreated, respectively. His polemic against natural theology is aimed rather at the Roman Catholic conception of the image of God, in which Adam does not innately possess knowledge of God but must acquire it by reasoning from natural effects to supernatural cause.

[AmiltonSolas]

I’m reading Mastricht and he dealt with this in his Prolegomena, thank you for this clarification.

[theholyhispanic]

Amazing way of explaining, thank you so much for this.

[thejohnsamuel]

So Calvin and Van Til was saying the same thing but Van Til had a different approach correct?

[anthonyj.castellitto]

Natural theology is good as far as it goes. (We can use it as part of our case for Christ). It compliments what we know. But we only know cause our spiritual eyes are open. To lead with natural theology, and compartmentalize the gospel, we sacrifice too much at the onset. I don’t think reason is the linchpin of faith. If anything it’s part of our condemnation. Our reason is darkened and thwarted by our lusts and natural enmity. This is why I’m not Roman Catholic. It doesn’t enhance our faith, but rather, it takes it for granted…. Until we fall away or are brought to a place of greater, truer understanding. Why shouldn’t our starting point be the whole counsel of God. Why must we deemphasize that to the detriment of others or ourselves. That’s the life giving part.

Now, we might make the case that God made us male and female, but why would an unregenerate person be moved by that? Reason is not driving the bus since our capacity to exercise Godly reason is defective. Natural theology may point us in the proper direction but it can’t give us life or even true understanding.

[fndrr]

This is just so flawed on so many levels. It badly distorts our Doctrine of God and could easily become heretical.