Presuppositional Apologetics in Plain Language: Fabulous Comments by Edgar

Just paging through the interview of William Edgar, apologetics professor at Westminster, in the July 31st edition of World Magazine. He definitely had a few good ones that puts presuppositional (biblical) apologetics in simple terms:

Vail Til is considered to be the leading exponent of “presuppositionalism,” an apologetic that looks at issues of the heart and worldview, rather than simply amassing great doses of evidence that are presented as though facts were neutral. Van Til was very favorable to evidence but it had to be in a framework. I took that ball and ran with it into the area of culture studies, and now I teach cultural apologetics.

…Apologetics that simply take tight philosophical arguments, dump them on people, and then simply wait to see if they can say “uncle” or not, are not very effective. First of all, not all of us are philosophers; second, it doesn’t reach into heart commitments, which is where the issues of life are. It’s not how bright I am and whether I can think through a problem that is going to lead me to Christ. It’s whether I have the kind of information, wisdom, and preaching that will challenge my deepest assumptions and lead me to Christ. (28)

Edgar, of course, edited the wonderful Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader (2009) and Van Til’s Christian Apologetics and Introduction to Systematic Theology (one of my top 5 all time favorite books).