Christian Apologetics
Question 12: What is Presuppositional Apologetics?
Answer: Presuppositional Apologetics is a significant school of thought in Christian Apologetics.
Comment: Presuppositional Apologetics is the method primarily used by Reformed, or Calvinistic, apologists.
Unlike Classical or Evidential Apologetics, Presuppositionalists begin with the assertion that the Bible and the Christian worldview proceeding from it is true. Any use of the reasoning faculty must use Biblical truth as its foundation. Everyone has certain foundational beliefs that they use as a way to perceive reality. All people have knowledge of the existence of God, yet unbelievers suppress that truth. This suppression leads to faulty reasoning, a subjective view of reality and truth, and moral disorder. Only the Christian worldview can make any sense of the world. Acknowledgement of the God of the Bible, therefore, is the foundation for rationality, morality, and understanding of the world.
The method of Presuppositional Apologetics begins with the assertion that the non-Christian worldview is inconsistent and contradictory to reality. Then the Presuppostionalist can show that Christianity is consistent with reality. The goal is to bring about faith in the non-believer.
“…it should present the biblical God, not merely as the conclusion to an argument, but as the one who makes argument possible.” John M. Frame
Advocates/Teachers: Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, James White, John Frame, E. J. Carnell, Francis Schaeffer
Resources: Apologetics Methods: The Pre-suppositional Approach
Mark Riser - Apologist 