K. Scott Oliphint on The Goal of Apologetics

Two things I enjoy about Dr. K. Scott Oliphint are his clarity in defending the Christian faith and his ability to refine his terms. The professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia made the following statements over the years.

"I have no interest of making theists of people because theists go where atheists go." ~Dr. K. Scott Oliphint in his discussion with Richard G. Howe and Jason Lisle on apologetic systems.

"When you are defending the Christian faith, you must defend the Christian faith. You are not simply defending some kind of generic theism." ~Dr. K. Scott Oliphint in his sermon Apologetics in Action: Acts 17:16-34

"The goal of a defense of Christianity is not to win the argument.  It's not an intellectual exercise so that we can show we someone we're smarter than they are. That's not what Paul is doing. The goal is the proclamation of the truth of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ in apologetics." ~Dr. K. Scott Oliphint in his sermon Apologetics in Action: Acts 17:16-34

K. Scott Oliphint on Sin

Westminster Theological Seminary gives prospective students this meaty little booklet; and, like any good piece of meat, it is packed with the right amount of flavors that are distinctive but not jarringly so. Thus we have Dr. K. Scott Oliphint's essay on "The Irrationality of Unbelief" where he exegetes Romans 1:18-32 and shows the "deep and wide" implications of this passage to Christian apologetics.

He writes: "All sin, as sin, is rooted in an irrationality that seeks in earnest to deny what is obvious and to create a world that is nothing more than a figment of a sinful imagination."

I'd like to take the implications of this a step further: If we are creating a world based on our own vain imaginations, then we should have no problem realizing that the foundations of society are seemlingly turning into sand. No one should expect this kind of society to work.

More on this essay later...