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Education
May 8, 2024
There is a battle raging in our world. We see it in the riots at colleges, in political turmoil, and in war across the globe. These conflicts ultimately originate from people’s sinful nature which impacts everything that people do. New Saint Andrews College teaches students to understand the spiritual conflict in the world around us. Only when leaders are armed with this knowledge can they rightly fight the darkness in our day.
In this series, we are looking at leaders who have shaped the vision and work of NSA. Previously, we considered G.K. Chesterton, John Calvin, and Abraham Kuyper. We now turn to Cornelius Van Til, whose work focused on helping Christians understand the true nature of the antithesis in the world. This theological teaching shapes NSA’s liberal arts program.
Cornelius Van Til was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian who lived from 1895 to 1987. He was one of the first professors at Westminster Theological Seminary, which began in 1929. He is known for his presuppositional apologetics. He also lived out his Christian faith both in the classroom and beyond, visiting those in the hospital and preaching on street corners in New York City. He was particularly concerned that Christians understand the spiritual disease at the heart of the world.
“Every fact of the universe has God’s stamp of ownership indelibly and with large letters engraved upon it."
Van Til based his theological teaching on the Bible’s declaration that God created reality. This foundational truth means that everything reveals God. He writes, “Every fact of the universe has God’s stamp of ownership indelibly and with large letters engraved upon it.” All things bear witness to his being and existence, which means the whole world declares the glory of God. We live in an orchestra hall that is sounding God everywhere.
Because the world was made by God, there is no place free of God’s revelation. Some might claim that there is a neutral space where non-Christian worldviews can exist without being confronted by God’s revelation. But that is not possible. Any place where other worldviews are correct is because they borrow from the revealed truth that God has placed in the world. The only common ground is that which God has revealed.
Because all nature reveals God, there is no place to escape this knowledge. This means that all men trying to live without God are ultimately at war with reality. Moreover, this war is a total war. That is, when people deny God, that denial shades everything they do. In this way, with one hand, they try to steal from God, and with the other, they try to deny that they are stealing.
Van Til uses the image of a radio with different stations. He says, “No matter which button of the radio he (the non-Christian) presses, he always hears the voice of God.” In denying God’s existence, fallen man is living in rebellion against God. However, this does not mean fallen man cannot learn and be creative. If that were true, then man would no longer bear God’s image. However, fallen man still bears God's image, which means he can explore and learn in a real way, but he is doing these things in rebellion against God. Van Til says, “The prodigal son can never forget the father’s voice. It is the albatross forever about his neck.”
“The prodigal son can never forget the father’s voice. It is the albatross forever about his neck.”
Fallen man, because he bears God’s image, still contributes to civilization. This explains why NSA studies authors with non-Christian worldviews such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and others. These authors are fallen and in rebellion against God but they still have helpful insights into the world that we can learn from and consider. Van Til equips students to see what is wrong and right in these contrary worldviews. A good leader knows what the enemy is saying and doing and can diagnose where they are wrong and why.
This explains why NSA studies authors with non-Christian worldviews such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and others. These authors are fallen and in rebellion against God but they still have helpful insights into the world that we can learn from and consider.
These teachings explain why Christian education is critical in preparing the next generation for advancing the truth. In his day, Van Til encouraged Christians to build Christian schools to teach the truth of God’s revelation. He says, “Our educational ideals and those of our opponents are poles apart. How impossible, then, for us to inculcate our ideals in any satisfactory way unless we have the educational influence all to ourselves.” Van Til taught that Christian schools are essential in shaping the next generation, and he understood that Christians must be in charge of teaching a Christian education. This task cannot be handed over to non-Christian educators.
NSA works to ensure that students understand the antithesis in the world. Understanding this conflict orients students so they can lead others to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). The central battle in the world is spiritual, but this is also a total battle that touches all parts of reality. This is why NSA offers a liberal arts education, preparing students to work and lead in various vocations. All vocations must kneel before God’s authority, and it is our mission to make every vocation glorify him.
