03-16-2008, 09:45 PM
|
 | Administrator | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Okinawa, Japan
Posts: 11,227
Thanks: 729
Thanked 1,964 Times in 934 Posts
| |
Quote:
Originally Posted by biblicalthought  This is from the CBUS February Newsletter. Dr. Robert Morey wrote: Quote:
Natural Theology and Its Inroads
I just finished reading the most recent defense of Natural Theology and Natural Law. It was written by Stephen Grabill, Rediscovering the Natural Law in Reformed Theological Ethics (Eerdmans, 2006). My first question was who is Stephen Grabill? On page ix he acknowledges that he wrote the book for the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion in Liberty located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This foundation is sponsoring seminars on Natural Theology and Natural Law at such places as Calvin College. This book is recommended by J. P. Moreland and Budziszewski.
I went on the Internet and found the Acton Institute was established in honor of Lord Acton, a fanatical Roman Catholic scholar, who fought against the evangelical gospel in England. Budziszewski is a Protestant who converted to Roman Catholicism and has connection to the Acton Institute. I found that the head of the Institute is headed by a Jesuit priest.
What this book attempts to demonstrate is that all of the Reformers, including Calvin, still retained much of Medieval-Roman Catholic thought. This is no surprise to us as both Luther and Calvin retained such ridiculous doctrines as the perpetual virginity of Mary.
The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed that ethics and morality were not based upon Scripture alone, but also upon the findings of human reason. They used the little clichés that Natural truths and Laws are “self-evident,” “intuitive,” and “universal.” These clichés are actually psychological terms, not philosophical in nature. Something “Feels” right or wrong to me. Intuition is a psychological term.
The book is an attempt to move Calvinists from sola scriptura to sola ratione. That the Reformers believed in General Revelation I fully grant. But Grabill makes the astounding assertion that General Revelation is Natural Theology.
General Revelation is God’s activity whereas Natural Theology is man’s activity. General Revelation is happening 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the entire universe. Natural Theology is the failed attempt of a few Western professors of religion from such universities as Oxford and Harvard. For most of human history, Natural Theology and Natural Law were never believed in or taught by the majority of mankind.
The fatal flaw in Grabill’s book is found on the last page (191). He admits that while the Reformers believed that General Revelation was taking place all the time, man’s depravity blocked the light of General Revelation. Man could be saved only by special revelation.
It is interesting to note that on pages 6-7 Grabill lists the Natural Theologians who support Natural Law. Among others, he lists David Van Drunen, who has recently joined the faculty at Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA). This is interesting because in a series of email exchanges I had with Dr. Van Drunen, he denied that he was a Natural Theologian. Under my questioning he did admit that his book Law & Custom: The Thought of Thomas Aquinas, the Future of the Common Law (Peter Lange), was financially underwritten by the Jesuits. It was dedicated to a Jesuit priest. His education was by the Jesuits.
When I had other people contact Westminster concerning whether Van Drunen was a Natural Theologian trained by the Jesuits, they were told that none of these things were true. Grabill’s book is the final straw that breaks the camel’s back. The Jesuits finally have someone on the faculty of Westminster Seminary. Van Til would have declared Van Drunen’s book heresy!
| Source | It's public knowledge that Van Drunen received his PhD from Loyola but that hardly makes him a Jesuit. Is your mentor aware of the 9th Commandment, I wonder? |