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Mr. Frame
I thought that John Frame had a doctoral degree?
I thought that John Frame had a doctoral degree?
It's honorary, which does not by convention entitle one to the "Dr." appellation. RTS (and maybe Frame himself?) refers to him as Dr. Frame which has caused some polite consternation.
He never finished. WTS offered him a job during the time in which he was going to finish.
I have never understood the convention of giving someone a doctorate while expecting them not to use the title "Dr."
I was aware that he did not finish his PhD, though I recalled him getting another doctorate.
Because an honorary doctorate is often (usually?) not a recognition of academic achievement but simply a way to honor a prominent figure.
Calling someone a doctor generally denotes that they have dedicated years of their life to rigorous academic study, have been carefully evaluated by experts in the field of study, and have been found to have contributed something of worth.
Now with Frame in particular, his work in the field is certainly of doctorate quality whether you agree with him or not
I grant that point in general, but not when the honorary degree is given to a scholar.
Except for medical doctors. I always like to tell the medical students at church that I am a real doctor because I have a Ph.D. It is one of the few times that I flaunt it, but I do so for the greater good of keeping them humble.
Agreed.
Except for medical doctors. I always like to tell the medical students at church that I am a real doctor because I have a Ph.D. It is one of the few times that I flaunt it, but I do so for the greater good of keeping them humble.
Who do you think Van Til's best interpreters we're? I like Dr. Oliphint, Dr. Bahnsen, Mr. Frame, and Dr. Knudsen. But who is the best? Dr. Edgar is great also.
Also who are his greatest critics?
Why not just read him directly? Academically primary sources are generally superior. It's not like there's a language barrier.
I appreciate all of them but personally benefited the most from old audio recordings by Dr. Bahnsen. Unfortunately he passed away at the age of 47. John M. Frame is arguably the best though, but he has also lived 30+ years longer than Dr. Bahnsen.
I agree but his use of "idealist" language was baptized by Reformed theology, same words different meanings.I mostly agree. There are a few things that Van Til emphasizes that his interpreters usually don't touch (e.g., very few of his interpreters actually expound his text on ethics or psychology).
On the other hand, Van Til communicated in a highly specific and arcane vocabulary of German Idealism. Post-Hegelian thought uses concepts that don't always mean what they mean in normal human speech. Take, for instance, "the concrete universal." That is a loaded term in Idealism yet we might just brush by it.
Most of his interpreters are usually familiar enough with Hegelian terminology to translate him.
With that said, Frame covers the theology better. Bahnsen covers the philosophy/apologetics better.
Agreed. In post 19 above, I posted a link "Are all Van Tilians equal"? This argued that Bahnsen did much to promote the work of Van Til but he missed Van Til's Trinitarian approach and the link to the 'one and many' problem.If we’re talking about Van Til with respect to apologetics and epistemology, Bahnsen by far wrote the most extensively on Van Til. In his abbreviated life he also lectured more deeply and broadly on Van Til than anybody else. He publicly debated alleged atheists and agnostics, demonstrating the apologetic in action. Lastly, he interacted with opposing views more than anyone else.
Agreed. In post 19 above, I posted a link "Are all Van Tilians equal"? This argued that Bahnsen did much to promote the work of Van Til but he missed Van Til's Trinitarian approach and the link to the 'one and many' problem.
I have just stared reading it so cannot really comment, but I understand Bosserman's "The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til" develops this Trinitarian theme more fully.