Westminster's Confession: The Abandonment of Van Til's Legacy [Hardcover]

Gary North (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: Inst for Christian Economics (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930464540
• ISBN-13: 978-0930464547
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,381,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good, Fun Book..., January 24, 2005

By 

Jay Scott Herman (Escondido, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Westminster's Confession: The Abandonment of Van Til's Legacy (Hardcover)

Boy what a breath of fresh air! This book is a response to Westminster Seminary's "Theonomy: A Reformed Critique," which for the most part is so weak and off the point it's almost hard to believe they actually published it. North's book is entertaining and full of insights--you will really enjoy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best rhetorical book by the Recons, February 1, 2012

By 

Norse Gael "Baroque Norseman" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Westminster's Confession: The Abandonment of Van Til's Legacy (Hardcover)

I am no longer a theonomist, but I've probably read more literature on the subject than most. This is the best book defending the theonomic perspective. It is also the funniest book. I remember literally rolling off of my bed in my seminary dorm crying from laughing so hard. Here's the sad part: this book was NEVER ANSWERED by the Reformed Academic Community. Gary North won by technical knock-out. (It didn't help that North himself said as much in the same book).

North reduced all questions to the "by what standard" query. His larger point was that if van Til's epistemology is true, and should be applied to all of life, then the only real answer is theonomy. Well....yes and no. It is true that if Van til is true then neutrality is impossible (thus negating 20th century Reformed political theory), but the specific exegetical theonomic thesis--ala Bahnsen on Matthew 5:17--does not follow. Bahnsen may in fact be correct, but simply positing Van Til does not justify the exegesis.

Anyway, the book is the best on the subject and is worth the price for a week's entertainment.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gary North hits a home run, January 6, 2011

By 

Hector Falcon "Truth Seeker" (Virginia Beach USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Westminster's Confession: The Abandonment of Van Til's Legacy (Hardcover)

Gary North did a wonderful job describing the theological shift that has occurred within the Reformed seminaries, and in particular, Westminster seminaries. I was saddened to learn that liberal views have become so rampant within the Reformed seminaries. Machen would be rolling in his grave if he knew that a pro-abortion faculty member was allowed to be on the teaching faculty - Paul Woolley. It shows how much of a change has occurred since Machen's day. But this follows the norm for Christian seminaries. With time they set up a dichomous split between faith and human reason. Due to the emphasis on scholarship based on human reason, the faith element eventually gets discarded. Man's human reasoning takes precedence and liberalism eventually prevails. So - mothers, never let your sons and daughters go to seminary. They will come out atheists by the time they have finished their course.

North did a splendid job writing this book. It was not loaded down with a theological vocabulary that only members of that profession would be familiar with. He gave a great historic overview of ideas which is worth the cost of the book itself. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about why Christian educational institutions always wind up going liberal. Another book that compliments this one is Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth. She gives a good historical overview of the shift in worldviews that have affected the academics in both the secular and Christians institutions. Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity