A Detailed Review: The Protestant Doctrine of Scripture by Cornelius Van Til

The author Cornelius Van Til is considered the father of Presuppositional Apologetics. Most who have read him have probably first read his book Defense of the Faith as the introduction to Van Til’s writing. But what should one read next after finishing that introductory work? Van Til himself have said he thinks the second book should be The Protestant Doctrine of Scripture.

In the preface of Defense of the Faith, Van Til said “They may be most profitably consulted in the following order: First, The Protestant Doctrine of Scripture; second, Introduction to Systematic Theology…” This book on a right view of the Bible is foundational for many other things and it is also the departure point with bad theology, if one have a bad view of the Bible to begin with. This book was originally a syllabus for class and contains 156 pp.

Structure and Content of the Work

There are seven chapters in the book and two appendixes. The following table provides an overview of the thematic progression within the volume:

Section	Description of Content
Chapter 1	The reformed doctrine of Scripture with four subpoints on the necessity, authority, sufficiency and perspicuity of Natural revelation before there’s a discussion of Scripture.
Chapter 2	Examines theologically the Roman Catholic view of analogy and doctrine of Scripture.
Chapter 3	Covers the Reformed doctrine on Inspiration.
Chapter 4	Looks at Roman Catholicism again specifically with their view of Scripture.
Chapter 5	Focuses on Neo-Orthodoxy and Christian mysticism.
Chapter 6	Looks at modern attacks on Scripture.
Chapter 7	Evangelical approaches to defense of the faith looking at scholars like B.B. Warfield, Gordon Clark and others.
Appendix 1	The relationship of General and Special Revelation.
Appendix 2	Berkouwer’s recent view of Scripture.

Theological Insights and Apologetics

Van Til isn’t always easy to read; yet putting the effort always reveal insights that are theological, apologetics and philosophy. I found it helpful that Van Til explain how general revelation in nature is clear, contrary to some who think Van Til denied the doctrine of general revelation. Van Til in the book also explore the assumption behind the assertion people make that we cannot know things that is religious and theological; and those assumptions are not neutral.

I always found it helpful to see inter-relationship of doctrines and Van Til notes this too: “The doctrine of Scripture is intricately interwoven with all the main teachings of Scripture. This doctrine is interwoven with the idea of the world’s creation an its all comprehensive providential control by God the Father. We may say that the doctrine of creation and of providence form the foundation of the idea of Scripture. But on the other hand we should know nothing about the truth of creation and providence if it were not the Scripture as God’s Word that tells us of them” (29).

His business is to teach Apologetics, and therefore he indicates what the Reformed Faith is and how it should be defended and propagated. In so doing he at the same time replies in detail to his various critics. We must defend Christian-theism as a unit. It is impossible and useless to seek to defend Christianity as an historical religion by a discussion of facts only. From this view Van Til brings the Bible to bear on various theological and apologetics method issues, including how to interpret the inconsistencies of believers and believers.

Van Til cites a lot of primary sources of the guys he’s critiquing and I appreciate that; yet at the time Van Til was critiquing those who were pressing forward academic scholarship at the time. His main purpose is to show in broad outline the nature of the true Christian because truly Biblical, life and world view and how it alone enables men to find meaning in life.