Table of Contents
Vol. IV, No. 4 
December '97
 
 A monthly electronic journal of the 
Center for the Advancement of Paleo Orthodoxy.
Nihil novi sub sole 
Volume IV, Number 4 / December 1997
 
 

Premise is a publication of the Center for the Advancement of Paleo Orthodoxy, located at 190 Manhattan Ave. in Oak Ridge, TN (37830). CAPO is an internet consortium of think tanks with seven distinct areas. 

This ministry is wholly supported by the Session of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN. We appreciate your support. 

Call for Election Day Sermons
 

The Kuyper Institute announces its second Call for Sermons. In an attempt to revive an excellent tradition, we are compiling for publication a select number of 1998 Election Day Sermons on: A Christian Understanding and Practice of Civil Government. Submissions are due June 15, 1998. To qualify, Sermons must be: 

1.Preached in a local church setting within the past 24 months; 
2.Submitted in hard copy and on IBM disk (in Word Perfect or Microsoft Word); 
3.Under 5,000 words; 
4.Pertinent to the theme as a biblical exposition; 
5.Submitted with permission to publish. 
Winners will be published in the Fall of 1998. Prizes are: $250 1st place; $150 2nd place; and $100 3rd place. We hope that these will then be of use to the Christian community as it applies Scripture to issues of national importance. 
Readers might want to begin planning now, or tell others. We hope that this will be an aid for revival in our land.

Editorials: 

"Leviathan Wasn't Built in a Day" by David Hall - page 1 

"Why Do We Ask Why?" by Stanley Bamberg - page 2 

"Christmas: At the Crossroad of Church and State" by David Hall - page 3 

For additional Opinion Pieces by R.C. Sproul, Patrick Poole, Timothy Rake, James Hirsen, George Grant, and David Hall visit The Covenant Syndicate.

Announcement:

Have you bookmarked the eBCO? It is available free at: http://capo.org/bco/part-1.html. (Be sure to consult the "Sources" page first.)

Feature Articles:

Newspaper Coverage of J. Gresham Machen's Ecclesiastical Trial In 1935 by James Daniel Barr - page 4
James Barr's master's thesis analyzes how three major newspapers--the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Baltimore Sun--covered the ecclesiastical court case of theologian and author John Gresham Machen in 1935. This analysis reveals subtle discrepancies within the news stories that point to a humanistic bias on the part of the reporters. Despite Machen's attempt to provide clear evidence of his innocence, the press did not investigate the possibility--thus offering something less than an impartial report of this significant historical case. Context for this event is provided by a short biography of Machen, then historical analyses of the nation, the church in America and the field of journalism. Nihil novum

Old Princeton and the Right Use of Reason by Paul Helseth - page 5
Throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries theologians from Princeton Seminary proved to be the most articulate defenders of Reformed orthodoxy in America. Their apologetical efforts have come under intense critical scrutiny, however, because critics allege that these efforts were based upon an accommodation of theology to the anthropological and epistemological assumptions of "the modern scientific revolution." Scottish Common Sense Realism and Baconian inductivism rather than the anthropological and epistemological assumptions of the Reformed tradition were the driving forces behind the Princeton Theology, critics contend, despite the fact that these forces often were tempered by the Princetonians' personal piety. Critics conclude, therefore, that the theologians at Old Princeton Seminary were not the champions of Reformed orthodoxy that they claimed to be. They were, rather, the purveyors of a theology that was bastardized by an "alien philosophy."

Were the Princeton theologians in fact "nineteenth-century positivists who did not reject theology"? Did they accommodate their theology, in other words, to anthropological and epistemological assumptions that are diametrically opposed to the anthropological and epistemological assumptions of the Reformed tradition? This article addresses those concerns and apologetic methodology.

Transcendental Argument: Contours of C.S. Lewis' Apologetic by Tommy Allen - page 6
The purpose of this study is to expose the reader to the "transcendental argument" which is available to the Christian because God is the necessary presupposition of all human activity. C.S. Lewis has implemented this type of argument in many of his apologetic writings. This study will focus upon Lewis' apologetic methodology and illustrate how he uses the transcendental argument which parallels Cornelius Van Til's apologetic disposition. The three aspects of Lewis' defense which I will address are: epistemology, morals, and myth. It is important to remember these three aspects of Lewis' defense are rooted in the transcendental argument.

`Liberty and Virtue are Twin Sisters': Southern Presbyterians and Theology of the State, 1850-1890 by David Hall - page 7
Prior to the Civil War, Benjamin Palmer and others were troubled over the new political winds blowing in the country. They saw certain views of the state, not only as a threat to the institution of slavery, but also as inherently dangerous and theologically unsound. One of the chief demons of the time was the French Revolution, which Palmer and others contrasted with the American Revolution: the "statesmen of 1776 were no visionary constitution mongers, like those who are now attempting to fit capricious France to a political costume." 

This survey of the thought of Civil War era political theology clarifies a number of confused ideas, as well as charts a course linking the concept of liberty to virtue.

Who Are We? Needs, Longings, and the Image of God in Man by Edward T. Welch - page 8
Welch leads a penetrating evaluation of needs in light of Scripture. He writes: "It is as if this category of needs entered into contemporary Christian thought without any biblical consultation. This intrusion is understandable, considering the nearly universal experience of psychological need. Within the broad field of popular meanings for the word "need," I want to narrow my discussion to psychological needs and their intersection with spiritual needs. Certainly, a discussion of the increasingly fuzzy boundary between needs-as-desires and needs-as-biological is a critical topic for the church." Welch observes that, "Need-as-hyperbole-for-desire is probably the most common definition of need."

Potato Soup for the Theological Soul by David Hall - page 9
With Year's end, and coupled with the latest high literary trend in the post-". . . for Dummies" era, I wish to submit a title for a new needed work, which could double as a first year course in seminary: Potato Soup for the Theological Soul. I am frequently asked, "What are the ten most important theological books for a seminary student to read?" My list may contain a few works that might not be on everyone's list, but I'll finally roll up my sleeves to give an answer. Upon minimal reflection, the books below have been most determinative in my theological development. These have not only provided broth for the brother, but have also left an indelible impression on an otherwise small mind. Here's my Top Eleven in random order.

The Forgotten Presidents by George Grant - page 10 
Fellow George Grant writes: "Who was the first president of the United States? Ask any school child and they will readily tell you "George Washington." And of course, they would be wrong--at least technically. Washington was not inaugurated until April 30, 1789. And yet, the United States continually had functioning governments from as early as September 5, 1774 and operated as a confederated nation from as early as July 4, 1776. During that nearly fifteen year interval, Congress--first the Continental Congress and then later the Confederation Congress--was always moderated by a duly elected president. As the chief executive officer of the government of the United States, the president was recognized as the head of state. Washington was thus the fifteenth in a long line of distinguished presidents--and he led the seventeenth administration--he just happened to be the first under the current constitution. So who were the luminaries who preceded him? These brief biographies profile these "forgotten presidents."

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We thank you for your support and encouragement. May God's blessings be yours. 

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