The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til

'The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox' grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the Triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, as the ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til's trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non- Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox-the doctrine of the Trinity-along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine persons.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations and Tables Foreword by K. Scott Oliphint Acknowledgments Introduction List of Abbreviations Part I: The Origins of Van Til's Theological Apologetic 1 Old Princeton 2 Old Amsterdam 3 Absolute Idealism Part II: Van Til's Orthodox Trinitarian System 4 Transcendental Argument from and for the Trinity 5 Trinitarian Theory of Knowledge 6 Trinitarian Logic 7 Coherent Trinitarian Theology Part III: Critique 8 The Looming Problem of Paradox Part IV: Trinitarian Vindication of Christian Paradox 9 God (Theology) 10 Reality (Metaphysics) 11 Nature and Man (Epistemology and Ethics) 12 Fall and Salvation (Hamartiology and Soteriology) Conclusion Bibliography

About the Author :
B.A. Bosserman (PhD, Bangor) is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Northwest University, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, and the church planting pastor of Trinitas Presbyterian Church. B.A. Bosserman (PhD, Bangor) is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Northwest University, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, and the church planting pastor of Trinitas Presbyterian Church.

Review :
"...Bosserman's lucid and insightful monograph provokes [important questions on vindicating paradoxes]." -Cory Brock, Modern Believing (57.2), March 2016 "Theological libraries should consider this text a worthy addition. Pastors and theological educators will find the myriad of unique tables and diagrams illuminating for instruction." -Jonathan Vajda, Theological Book Review, Vol. 27 No.1, 2016 The book is both a guide to and a constructive step forward for the theological and apologetic Trinitarian thought of Cornelius van Til.... Bosserman reveals effectively how van Til critically appropriates each through confessional Reformed othodoxy.... [M]ost surprising and compelling however, was his explication of van Til's appropriation of aspects of absolute idealism.... Bosserman has opened a door for renewed study of Van Til and reveals any superficial dismissals of van Til as being unwarranted - he is clearly a figure worth engaging. The monograph is a welcomed investigation of van Til and should be engaged by Reformed students, scholars, and pastors.' -Greg Parker Jr., Reviews in Religion and Theology, Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2018