FTNCI 040: Natural Theology | Christian Philosophy Q&A

The traditional Protestant doctrine of Natural Theology has recently come under fire from followers of Cornelius Van Til, including Jeffrey Johnson, Owen Strachan, and James White. In this Q&A we summarize the traditional answers to some of the main confusions and objections that tend to come up when defending Natural Theology. “The Reformation doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture does not claim that Christians need only Scripture and not natural revelation, but that Christians need only Scripture and not other kinds of special revelation.” -David VanDrunen Topics Include: Isn’t Scripture the only authoritative revelation from God? Why not just think that the knowledge of Natural Revelation is innate / automatic? What’s the value for Christians studying Natural Revelation / Natural Theology, since it is not sufficient to save; isn’t its only value in its condemnation? Doesn’t Total Depravity mean that the unregenerate are unable to understand Natural Revelation through Natural Theology anyway? If the unregenerate can understand Natural Revelation through Natural Theology, then what’s left for the regenerating work of the Spirit? Does Natural Theology teach us anything unique that Scripture doesn’t? Aren’t we relying on our own reasoning abilities to understand Natural Revelation through Natural Theology, apart from Scripture? Isn’t this autonomous human reasoning? Not everyone is capable of deep philosophical thought. Isn’t this expecting too much of the common person? Related Resources: FTNCI Presuppositionalism Index Page FTNCI Epistemology Video Playlist RC Sproul: Natural Theology Is Incomplete but True Josh Sommer: Responding to James White on “Thomism” Josh Sommer: The Catholics vs. the “Big Boys” Josh Sommer: The Failure of ‘The Failure of Natural Theology’—A Review Josh Sommer: How Sola Scriptura Presupposes Natural Theology Josh Sommer: A Response to Dr. Sam Waldron   Become a Patron and Get Full-Length Exclusive Podcasts As a $1/mo. Podcast Insider, you get access to the Full-Length Exclusive Version of the podcast. As a $10/mo. Philosophy Club Member, you can attend our monthly podcast recording sessions via webinar and submit questions either live or beforehand + get access to our exclusive culture war training. Video Version Click here to watch this episode on YouTube. About the Podcast For the New Christian Intellectual is a free show created for Christian thinkers and communicators. We focus on classical (and overlooked) Christian principles such as reason, rational self-interest, individualism, and individual rights. Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts to automatically get every episode. How to Help The best way to help more people find out about the show is to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, download several episodes, and leave us a review. Click here to subscribe. Listen to the Podcast The post FTNCI 040: Natural Theology | Christian Philosophy Q&A first appeared on For the New Christian Intellectual.