Consistent Calvinist

John Muether opens his new biography of Cornelius Van Til by stating that while he was alive, his readers could be separated between those who did not agree with him and those who did not understand him.  All Van Til was trying to accomplish, however, was constructing an ardent defense of the Christian faith that was consistent with his Reformed theology.  This is especially ironic today, as Muether notes, as there are many self-styled "Van Tilians" in mainline and non-Reformed denominations and yet there are also those even within his own denomination (OPC) that are not. Van Til's logic was simple: if we are going to believe all the aspects of Reformed theology, why would we ever want to use an apologetic that was not consistent with, and even detrimental too, historic Calvinism.  

Thus Van Til's "Reformed apologetics" (he was not in favor of attaching his own name to it) were in stark contrast to the "Classical apologetics" that are widely used by Roman Catholics and Evangelicals.  Rather than attempting to find "common ground" with the unbeliever by appealing to autonomous human reason (and thereby validate his or her unbelief), Van Til wanted to confront this unbelieving world with the message: "God has spoken."  Self-consciously a circular argument, Van Tilian thought attempts to undermine the unbeliever's assumptions (or "presuppositions") with a better starting point: the triune God has revealed himself in his word and we would do well to listen.  Muether's main contribution to Van Til studies with his biography is to show how he developed his thoughts, not in some lofty ivory tower, but in the trenches, as it were; that is, in his newly adopted denomination, the OPC.  

Like the great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck, whose first "Dogmatics" volume was published the year he was born, Van Til was raised in an environment that reflected the two main conservative Dutch Reformed movements: Kuyper's "Doleantie," as well as the "Afscheiding," which had broke away from the state-controlled church years earlier.  Not only did Van Til draw from the Neo-Calvinists from his homeland, but he also had immense respect for the professors at Princeton: J. Gresham Machen, Geerhardus Vos, and B.B. Warfield, who died at the age of 69, the same year Van Til started studies there. 

After earning four degrees in five years at Princeton (ThB, MA, ThM, and PhD!!!), Van Til took a call to minister to a CRC congregation in Spring Lake, MI. This did not last long, however, as he took a position as apologetics professor at Princeton.  This move was consistent with the way he saw his calling as a minister. He felt that every minister, in addition to whatever degrees he has earned, held the most important: "V.D.M." that is "Verbum Dei Minister" (minister of the word of God). So whether he was behind the pulpit or in the seminary classroom or writing in his study, Van Til saw himself a spokesperson for the Triune God.  

When Machen started Westminster seminary, he wanted to establish an institution that would truly continue the "old Princeton" tradition of Alexander, Hodge, and Warfield, and even though he was committed to an Evidencialist apologetic, he knew that Van Til would be a perfect fit.  Van Til had always thought that he would end up teaching at either Calvin College or its seminary (which institutions were ran by his CRC denomination), however, there was something persuasive about Machen and Westminster that caused him to take the position.  Even though Van Til had many invitations to become a professor at Calvin Seminary (where he would have taught alongside of theologian Louis Berkof and New Testament scholar William Hendrikson), he continually decided to stay at Westminster to further its cause.

Had there been a CRC congregation in Philadelphia when Van Til went to Westminster, he and his wife Rena would no doubt have become members there.  When, however, Machen and others were basically kicked out of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and they formed the OPC, Van Til felt it best to join the new denomination as well. Although he maintained lifelong affinities with the CRC, he continued to labor in the OPC to continue to build and strengthen her witness.