Van Til’s Christian-Theistic Ethics

In “Van Til’s Christian Theistic Ethics,” Rushdoony argues that Cornelius Van Til’s 1947 work provides a powerful theological foundation for an eschatology of victory grounded in the absolute antithesis between theonomy and autonomy, insisting that Christian ethics must begin not with abstract moral teachings but with creation, the Fall, and the atoning work of Christ at Calvary. Van Til presents Christ as Creator-Redeemer, places God—not man—at the center of all reality, and defines man’s highest good as the Kingdom of God, realized as believers live out their calling as God’s vicegerents in history. Rejecting humanistic utopianism, environmental determinism, and antinomianism, Van Til teaches that evil must be destroyed, righteousness upheld, and God’s law obeyed in every sphere of life, beginning with the regeneration of the individual and extending to all nations. Rushdoony concludes that this theonomic, kingdom-oriented vision made Van Til objectionable to modern Christianity but foundational to Christian Reconstruction, and he calls for the republication of Van Til’s works to equip future generations. #VanTil #ChristianTheisticEthics #Theonomy #ChristianReconstruction #KingdomOfGod #BiblicalEthics #Presuppositionalism #PostmillennialHope #Chalcedon