Ep. 235 - Cornelius Van Til's Transcendental Theory of Knowledge w/Dr. Scott Oliphint

Jun 17, 2023

Join Dr. K. Scott Oliphint, an expert in apologetics and theology, as he delves into Cornelius Van Til's transformative theories. The conversation explores the divide between continental and analytic philosophy, and the significance of presuppositions in understanding God's creation. Oliphint highlights Van Til's unique transcendental arguments and their biblical resonance, while also reflecting on his personal journey through reform theology. Discover the vital interplay of faith and reason in effective apologetics, all through the lens of Van Til's profound insights.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Transformative Theological Insights

02:47 • 30min

Transcendental Arguments in Van Til's Thought

32:19 • 14min

Understanding Presuppositions in Relation to God's Creation

46:17 • 4min

Exploring Van Til's Epistemology

50:46 • 23min

Faith and Reason: The Art of Apologetics

01:13:32 • 10min

Exploration of Knowledge and Divine Presence

01:23:23 • 4min

Philosophical Reflections on Van Til and Descartes

01:27:38 • 6min

In episode 235 of the Parker's Pensées Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. K. Scott Oliphint to discuss his new edition of Cornelius Van Til's book "A Christian Theory of Knowledge." Dr. Oliphint has added many helpful notes for understanding the apologetic, epistemology, and theology of Van Til. In this episode I try to commend Van Til to an analytic audience by asking Dr. Oliphint some questions I've always had and some I think my audience has. Grab the book here to support my podcast: https://amzn.to/3MlpJjt If you like this podcast, then support it on Patreon for $3, $5 or more a month. Any amount helps, and for $5 you get a Parker's Pensées sticker and instant access to all the episode as I record them instead of waiting for their release date. Check it out here: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkers_pensees If you want to give a one-time gift, you can give at my Paypal: https://paypal.me/ParkersPensees?locale.x=en_US Check out my merchandise at my Teespring store: https://teespring.com/stores/parkers-penses-merch Come talk with the Pensées community on Discord: dsc.gg/parkerspensees Sub to my Substack to read my thoughts on my episodes: https://parknotes.substack.com/ Check out my blog posts: https://parkersettecase.com/ Check out my Parker's Pensées YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbTRurpFP5q4TpDD_P2JDA Check out my other YouTube channel on my frogs and turtles: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParkerSettecase Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trendsettercase Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkers_pensees/0:00 - Who is K. Scott Oliphint? 9:30 - Van Til's Legacy 18:04 - Continental vs. Analytic Apologetics? 23:05 - Which of Van Til's books are best to read? 27:13 - Van Til's early use of Transcendental Arguments 33:10 - Rationalist/Irrationalist Dialectic Applied to Platonism 46:16 - Subjective vs. Objective Presuppositions 54:22 - Van Til, Postmoderism, and Common Sense Realism 1:02:50 - Knowledge of God, Implanted Knowledge 1:07:53 - principium essendi & principium cognoscendi (exturnum and internum) 1:13:58 - Why do apologetics as a calvinist? 1:23:40 - What kind of knowledge-of-God do we have?