In Apologetics of the Early Church, Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses the attacks that were leveled at the church in its first four hundred years, and he explores how Justin Martyr, Augustine, and other early church apologists answered the charges of their critics.

In Apologetics of the Early Church, Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses the attacks that were leveled at the church in its first four hundred years, and he explores how Justin Martyr, Augustine, and other early church apologists answered the charges of their critics.

What is the proper relationship between faith and reason? What can we learn from the early Christian thinkers who died reasoning for the faith? Continuing this series on Apologetics of the Early Church, Dr. Sproul traces the origins of the prevailing thoughts during the early centuries of church history, and explains how the apologists responded.

It seems that Western civilization has lost its sense of decency and its ability to know the difference between right and wrong. But don’t assume this problem is unique to our own day. There is an ancient reoccurring pattern that has been shaping culture throughout the millennia. Do you recognize where we are on the cultural spectrum? Are you prepared to be a voice of truth in your culture? Beginning this series on Apologetics of the Early Church, Dr. Sproul teaches us to recognize our current cultural climate, and explains the fundamental cause of its decline.

We have just finished a brief look at what the Bible says about the Trinity using proof texts from question and answer 25 of the Heidelberg Catechism. The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that God is one and three at the same time but not in the same sense: He is one in essence but three in person. This understanding of our Creator’s nature permeates God’s Word, but the church needed a few centuries to work out the right language to describe the Holy Trinity. In order to better understand what the Trinity is and is not, as well as the relation between faith and reason in grasping this doctrine, we will now base a few days of studies on Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series Apologetics of the Early Church.

Faithfulness to the Word of God depends on believing everything it teaches and not exalting certain truths at the expense of others. Regarding the nature of God, we err when we emphasize the oneness of His essence over the threeness of His person, and vice versa. As the early church attempted to understand what the Bible says about our triune Creator, many heretics so emphasized His unity that they were unable to do justice to the distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This was true of Sabellius, who caused problems for the church in the late second and early third centuries AD. Sabellius was influenced strongly by the Greek philosopher Plotinus, who taught that everything is divine, an emanation from God.

Sabellius believed God is like the sun that emanates light and heat. At different points in history we see God differently, just as we experience the sun’s light and heat differently. Ultimately, Sabellius erased all distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he taught that the Father is the Son is the Spirit: in ages past, God was the Father; during Jesus’ ministry, God was the Son; today, God is the Spirit. There is no eternal, personal communion between three distinct persons. We have one God who wears three masks, not three distinct persons in relationship with one another even though they share the same essence, according to Sabellius.

Without a proper distinction between the persons, passages such as John 17 do not make any sense. In this passage, the Son speaks to the Father, not to Himself as the Son. The Father is God and the Son is God, but the Father is not the Son.

In this session, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey considers what we can learn from the early church’s use of apologetics in defending the faith in a culture not unlike our own.

It was during the last quarter of the second century in the eastern Mediterranean, possibly in the city of Alexandria, that a man by the name of Diognetus met a Christian author as well as some other believers. It is not surprising that as Diognetus spent time with this man and the others, he began to ask them questions: *What do you Christians believe about God? Why do you reject the gods that other Greeks and Romans worship? Why do you Christians use the Jewish Old Testament even though you’re not Jews? And Diognetus was amazed when he saw the way these Christians related to one another, for it was evident that they loved each other like people in the same family were to love each other. Why was that?

Simple though these questions might seem, they actually touch on utterly central matters: Who is the God that Christians worship, and what difference does this worship make for daily life? A number of discussions about these subjects ensued, and it became very evident that Diognetus was earnest about knowing the Truth. The Christian author decided, therefore, to write to his unbelieving friend and explain in a fairly succinct form what Christians think about these matters.

The resulting letter, which historians now call The Letter to Diognetus, is a veritable gem of early Christian apologetics. Beyond the fact that the author obviously benefited from a superb education and that he knew portions of the New Testament extremely well, scholars have no real idea as to who wrote this letter.

In the World, but Not of the World

The author of the letter notes that, unlike the Jews, Christians are not to be distinguished from their fellow Greeks and Romans by virtue of their geographical locale, distinct language, or various unique customs of dress, food, and other matters of daily life. When it comes to all of these things, they lived like the other citizens of the Roman Empire. Yet, their Christian commitment did draw certain lines of demarcation between themselves and their surrounding culture: They live in their own native lands, but as sojourners; they share all things as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. . . . They marry, like everyone else, have children, but they do not expose their infants. They share a common table, but not the marriage bed. They are in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They spend [their days] on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. (Letter to Diognetus 5.5–9)

Here the New Testament language of sojourning and heavenly citizenship is pressed into service to affirm the paradox of Christian existence. The Christian life is one that was similar in so many ways to the mores of Greco-Roman society, but in certain key areas—notably with regard to the treatment of children and sexual expression—it bore witness to a completely different ethic.

On Abortion and Sexual Immorality

Although abortion did take place in Greek and Roman culture, it was not a common solution for unwanted children,

The military of ancient Rome really blew it. When it came to the resurrection of Jesus, the troops who guarded his tomb could have saved us all a lot of time and trouble by just giving up his dead body. One problem: they never did. They didn't because they couldn't. And they couldn't because, despite what you may have read, the resurrection of Jesus was and is a well-attested fact, perhaps the best-attested fact of antiquity.

Neither the Romans nor the Jews of Jesus' day denied it. In fact, practically nobody denied it for 1,700 years. But now it's fashionable to deny it or, at least, to cast doubt on it. Why? Has the evidence changed? No, the testimony of history is still the same. As Thomas Arnold, former chair of Modern History at Oxford University, once wrote, "I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God [has] given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead" (see his Sermons on the Christian Life: Its Hopes, Its Fears, and Its Close [6th ed.; London, 1859] 324).

Well, if the historical evidence is so clear, why do certain scholars and laypeople discount Jesus' resurrection? For some it's simply that they're not informed about the facts. For many others, however, it's because they have a bias against the miraculous. Both of these factors show up in certain media presentations on the resurrection.

Take, for example, the argument that, because there is a gap of 40 years between the first Gospel and the resurrection event itself, we can state nothing historical about Jesus' resurrection. Is this 40-year gap a problem? Certainly not. The earliest New Testament documents -- the apostle Paul's letters from the late 40s and early 50s -- testify that, while he was writing those letters, over 500 people who had seen the resurrected Jesus were still alive and talking about it. The point is, the apostle's letters narrow the gap between the Gospel accounts and the resurrection event itself to about 20 years, and his testimony is unquestionably compatible with that of the Gospels. Is it true, then, that the compelling details about Jesus' resurrection were nowhere to be found before the first Gospel was written? No, those details were publicly available in the witness of the early church and in the apostles' earliest letters.

What about the Jesus Seminar's claim that the idea of a physical resurrection was historically just one of several ways to give meaning to Jesus' life and death? Well, consider the source. Richard B. Hays, New Testament professor at The Divinity School of Duke University, minces no words about the Jesus Seminar: "most professional biblical scholars are profoundly skeptical of the methods and conclusions of this academic splinter group. ... [T]heir attempt to present [their] views as 'the assured results of critical scholarship' is reprehensible deception" ("The Corrected Jesus," First Things

”In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The introductory segment of the prologue of the gospel of John was the most carefully examined text of the New Testament for the first three centuries of Christian history. Of all the theological issues and questions facing the early church, none was more acute than the church’s understanding of the person of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament devotes plentiful attention to the person and work of Jesus—what He said, what He did, where He came from, and where He went. But nothing captivated the minds of the intellectual leaders of the early church as much as the question, “Who was He?”

The question “Who was Jesus?” forced attention on the Johannine concept of the logos. This Greek term, simply translated “word,” was the deepest idea about Jesus introduced in the New Testament.

We note the distinction John makes when he writes: “The Word was with God and the Word was God.” At worst, John falls into a ghastly contradiction between two assertions made about the Logos with barely a breath taken between them. When we say someone or something is with another that normally indicates a distinction between them. We note an obvious difference between distinction and identity. When we assert that two things are identical we usually mean there is no difference or distinction between them. Yet, here John does two things: On the one hand he distinguishes between the Logos and God, while on the other hand he identifies the Logos with God.

Contradiction? Not necessarily, though we live in an era in which theologians, both liberal and conservative, are not only content with, but take delight in contradictions. However, if we are to retain theological sanity, we must reject the idea that these assertions are in fact contradictory. Nor do we wish to succumb to the popular but deadly notion now popular in formerly Reformed circles, that real contradictions can be resolved in the mind of God. This new irrationalism gives us an irrational God with an irrational Bible and an irrational theology; all defended by an irrational apologetics. This movement rests on the false premise that the only alternative to irrationalism is rationalism. But one need not be a rationalist in order to be rational. Flights into the absurd may delight existential philosophers, but they slander the Holy Spirit of truth.

Nor can we solve the tension in John by appealing to the absence of the definite article (as do the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses) and render the text: “And the Word was a God.” This feeble attempt at resolution yields only polytheism.

It was this type of question that impelled the church to examine and test Christological formulations for three centuries. The watershed confession of the fourth-century Nicene Creed did not leap suddenly on the scene like Athena out of the head of Zeus. The formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity was codified in the fourth century but was by no

The Acts of the Apostles was written by a physician named Lucian (in English "Luke"). Neither the third gospel nor the Acts provide an explicit statement of authorship, but the testimony of the early church is clear, and there is internal evidence that demonstrates Lucan authorship. Particularly striking is that in many places in Acts, when Luke evidently joins the company of Paul during his travels, the narrative stops saying that "they" did such and so, and says that "we" did such and so (see Acts 16:10–17, etc.)

There are several major themes in Acts, and here let us consider three of them. One is apologetical. Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with defending Christianity against accusations and error. In the early days of the church, many were accusing the Christians of being seditious against the Roman imperial government. Luke recorded several courtroom scenes and made it clear that whenever Christians came before the Romans, the Romans recognized that the Christians were good, peaceful citizens. The real trouble, Luke showed, came from those Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah, and who thus were angry at the Christians who claimed to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.

A second theme is the validity of Paul's apostleship. Luke showed in Acts 1 that the qualifications for an apostle were that he had spent three years with Jesus and that he had been a witness of the Resurrection (Acts 1:21–22). On the surface, Paul of Tarsus did not fit these qualifications, and so his ministry was constantly questioned by Judaizers and others. Luke's narrative in Acts demonstrated that Paul did see Jesus in His resurrection, spent years in personal study "with Christ" before taking up the mantle of apostleship, and was accepted on an equal footing by the other apostles.

A third theme common to both Luke's gospel and to Acts is the inclusion of the Gentiles in the new kingdom. There had been Gentile believers throughout the Old Testament, but they had not been members of the priestly nation of Israel and consequently had to worship "at a distance." Luke shows that in the new covenant, there is no longer any difference between Jewish and Gentile believers.

Nearly one-third of Galatians is devoted to Paul’s apologia for his ministry and gospel (1:6–2:10). The Greek term apologia means “defense,” and so Paul defends the authenticity of his office and message in the opening chapters of Galatians. From apologia we get the words apologetics, the science of defending the Christian faith, and apologist, the person who practices apologetics.

Paul, today’s passage indicates, was an ardent defender of the faith, but he is not the only apologist God has given to the church. Over the next week we will study the development of apologetics in the first few centuries AD using Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series Apologetics in the Early Church as a guide. These first apologists dealt with many problems that still plague us today, and this study will help us develop a biblical response to skeptics.

Justin Martyr, so named because he was martyred in AD 162, is a seminal figure in the history of apologetics. He is especially known for developing a theory of knowledge based on the divine logos of John 1. In the ancient world, the logos was thought to be the supreme principle of reason or rationality that lies behind all things. John reclaims this when he identifies the logos in the first chapter of his gospel with the Son of God who became incarnate. Since in the biblical worldview the Creator is the architect of all things, reason included, Justin Martyr pointed to Jesus as the incarnation of reason itself and, as the Creator, the source of all that is good and true in the universe. When the non-Christian discovers truth, Justin argued, he is really enjoying a revelation of the logos.

In that day many people charged the Christians with sedition because they did not worship the Roman gods. They were also accused of incest for calling one another “brother” and “sister” and for meeting in secret, though it was persecution that made private gatherings necessary. To answer these critics, Justin exhorted Emperor Antoninus Pius to look at how Christians lived. Since they feared God, Justin said, Christians could be trusted to obey Roman law lest they incur divine wrath. Justin also asked Pius to study Christian sexual behavior carefully, for the believers’ upright ethic proved their goodness.

Apologetics is the task of presenting a well-reasoned, intellectual defense of the truth claims of the Christian faith. In the early church, persecuted Christians defended the faith against paganism, polytheism, and political threats. In the medieval church, rational approaches to systematic theology guided a logical defense of the Christian faith against the attacks of false religions. During the Protestant Reformation, theologians defended the truth of the gospel against attacks both from within Christendom, as well as the truth of the Christian faith in the face of false religions. During the Enlightenment, Christian theologians defended the reasonableness of Christianity against the attacks of the rationalists and the deists who cast aspersion on supernaturalism, as well as against skeptics. In the modern era, Christian apologists refuted the attacks of German higher criticism, liberalism, and Marxism. In postmodern culture, theologians have had to defend the truth claims of the Christian faith against existential philosophy, Neoorthodox theology, the mysticism of neo-Gnosticism, moral relativism, and other world religions, as well as against secularism and new atheism. Christian apologetics in the postmodern era confronts institutionalized antisupernaturalism.

Join us for our 2018 West Coast Conference in Seattle, WA, on June 8-9.

For much of Western history, the church has enjoyed a position of strong influence on the culture. People, even if they were not Christians, had at least a general awareness of Christian belief and practice. The rational coherence of the Christian faith was widely respected. Sadly, this is no longer the case. In our post-Christian culture, people are ignorant of basic biblical concepts. Moreover, the Christian faith is facing increasing hostility from the government, the culture, and the academy.

Our call in such a day is not to be fearful, but to be ready. As Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15-16, we are to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within us. Conference speakers W. Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, Stephen Nichols, Burk Parsons, Derek Thomas, and Ravi Zacharias will consider the challenge of atheism, the truthfulness of God’s Word, the example of Christ in apologetics, and many other topics.

This event will be an engaging time of fellowship, study, and worship. Register today.

Sessions Include:

The Faith Once for All Delivered Preaching and Apologetics Apologetics and the Local Church Is Truth Dead? How the Early Church Used Apologetics Applied Apologetics And many more

Learn more by browsing the conference schedule. Don’t forget, children 17 and under may attend the conference for free. Ministry Partner, alumni, and other discounts are also available.

From its earliest days, the church of Jesus Christ has been described as “catholic.” The first usage of the term appears in writings known as the Apostolic Fathers in the early to mid-second century. The word is from the Greek katholikos, meaning “throughout the whole,” or “universal.” This was its general ecclesiastical usage in the early centuries. However, the word catholic is now identified almost exclusively with the Roman Church. But this association is a relatively late historical development. The early church applied the term to the church as a whole, to both east and west.

Many today are in search of the one true church, the church catholic with historic continuity traced back to Jesus and the apostles. Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church” (NASB). Jesus only has one church, so the question of catholicity is related directly to the true nature of the church. Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy define the church institutionally; catholicity is understood as communion with a visible institution. Protestants, on the other hand, explain the church, primarily, though not exclusively, in doctrinal or spiritual terms. Protestants assert that catholicity refers primarily to that which is spiritual. This, of course, raises the whole question of the visible versus the invisible church. The Reformers included the distinction as a vital element of their ecclesiology. Was this mere apologetics or was it a legitimately biblical argument? Was their position ever promulgated prior to the Reformation?

In Matthew 16:16, Peter confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (NASB). Jesus responded with, “I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18, NASB). Historically, this passage has generated tremendous controversy. Is the “rock” Peter’s confession and therefore Christ Himself, as Protestants insist? Or is the church built on Peter, and subsequently, Peter’s successors, the bishops of Rome, as the Roman Church claims? How are we to understand what Jesus actually meant?

The book of Ephesians provides a helpful commentary on this passage. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul states that the church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (NASB). The Greek word for “built upon” is the same word used by Jesus in Matthew 16:18. How is the church built upon the apostles and prophets? It was built initially through their preaching (Acts 2:42; 5:42) and then historically through their inspired writings. Through the gospel, they testified to Jesus Christ—His Person and work—as the ultimate foundation of the church (1 Cor. 3:11). In Ephesians 1:13, Paul writes that in Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. (NASB)

Paul is explaining how the Ephesian church was built, and in so doing, describes how the church catholic will be built. The gospel was proclaimed, the Ephesians responded in faith and were sealed in a spiritual union with

The second century of church history began with the church working to gain its footing and deal with the hostile Roman Empire, and that helps explain why many of the earliest post-Apostolic Christians lack theological depth—people were focused on surviving. Notable exceptions exist. First Clement, a letter written by an elder in Rome around the year AD 100, and the Epistle to Diognetus, an anonymous text written as early as 130, both anticipate the fully worked-out doctrine of justification by faith alone.

In the main, the notable figures of the immediate post-Apostolic period were the second- century apologists—defenders of the faith. The most significant of the apologists was Justin Martyr, so named because he was martyred during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Justin's defense of the faith was typical of the apologists of the time. To the Jews, he stressed how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. He confronted pagans, proclaiming the rationality of Christian belief and the sound ethics of the Christian religion, and he mocked idolatry in a manner reminiscent of the old covenant prophets (Isa. 44:9-20). In many ways, apologists like Justin model how we should defend the faith today in their stress on the reasonableness of Christianity, and in looking to Scripture to define Jesus' identity.

With Irenaeus (130-200) we have the first great theologian of the post-Apostolic period. Irenaeus, who in his youth knew Polycarp, is best known for his work Against Heresies, in which he confronts the early church heresy known as Gnosticism. Various beliefs fall under the umbrella of Gnosticism, but the core of the heresy was that the material world is bad, that the God described in the Old Testament is not the God and Father of Jesus Christ, and that salvation is obtained not by atonement but by means of "secret knowledge." Gnostics said that this hidden knowledge, or gnosis, consisted in traditions that Jesus gave in secret and that had been passed down in secret in the Gnostic community. Irenaeus fought this heresy by pointing to the fact that if such knowledge had been revealed, it would have been revealed publicly and would have been preserved in the visible church. For Irenaeus, the bishop had the chief responsibility in preserving the gospel message, but his understanding of bishops was not what the later Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions would embrace. At the time, a bishop was essentially a faithful pastor whose main work was teaching. He depended on many associates in ministry to help in his work.

Reformation Bible College (RBC) is unique, and its mission is urgent: “Above all, know God.” It fills a needed gap among institutions of higher education. Firmly established upon and governed by theological convictions, RBC is unabashedly a Christian college. There are two main types of Christian colleges: liberal arts colleges and Bible colleges. RBC has something exceptional to offer when set against either type. Historically, Christian liberal arts colleges have offered a robust curriculum in the humanities, as well as majors devoted to professions and career paths. Yet their biblical and theological curriculum offerings have not been as plentiful or extensive. For example, colleges and universities belonging to the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) only require a minimum of six credit hours of biblical or theological instruction. And of course, Christian liberal arts colleges represent a wide swath of theological commitment, with many espousing a watered-down version of core Christian doctrines and beliefs.

On the other hand, there are Bible colleges. One of the accrediting associations to which many Bible colleges belong, The Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly required member institutions to have thirty credit hours of biblical and theological instruction. Recent standards have relaxed that threshold. Historically, Bible colleges have not had robust programs in the humanities and great works. Also, Bible colleges have not tended to be Reformed. Bible colleges trace their roots to the Bible institute movement of the early twentieth century. This movement was rooted in fundamentalism and dispensationalism. As you consider college choices, look at the curriculum. A college may be named Christian and even have a long and fabled reputation, but the curriculum may exhibit little commitment to educating students in the source of truth, goodness, and beauty—in God’s Word and in theology. Yet, we also recognize, as the hymn writer put it, “This is my father’s world.” We look to the classics and to the arts, knowing that “all truth is God’s truth,” and knowing the value of being schooled in the history of ideas.

In light of the landscape of Christian higher education, consider the curriculum at RBC. The core of the curriculum includes hermeneutics, followed by seven courses on biblical survey. There are seven courses on theology, covering all the major topics. There are also seven courses on great works, looking at literature, art, and music from the time of the Greeks to the present day. In the freshman year, there are two courses taught in church history and two courses taught in biblical theology. The senior year has one course in apologetics. Every student in our four-year degree takes a course on modern philosophy. Why? Because ideas have consequences.

All of these courses are taught from the perspective that a rigorous education, while hard work, is well worth the reward. These courses are taught from the solid foundation of the historic, orthodox, Reformed faith.

Dr. R.C. Sproul designed and implemented this curriculum. It represents the college he would have wanted to attend, and it represents the hallmarks of his long

Every year, in cities around the world, Christians of all ages gather around God’s Word at Ligonier’s conferences.

Pack your bags and join us as we listen to biblical teaching, enjoy fellowship with other growing believers, and take home discounted discipleship resources at one or more of these upcoming events:

2024 National Conference: The Way, the Truth, and the Life May 23–25 As we gather together to consider Scripture’s essential teaching on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be encouraged to see the Son of God at the center of our lives and to follow Him faithfully. Don’t delay—you can get 15% off of your registration when you secure your spot today.

Always Ready Youth Conferences Invite your youth group or teenage family members to an Always Ready youth apologetics event this year: Columbia, SC — April 18 Norton Shores, MI — August 17 Sanford, FL — September 7 (Save the Date) Southern California — November 9 (Save the Date)

2024 Belfast Conference: Chosen in Christ June 29 Join us as we focus our attention on the breathtaking chapter of Ephesians 1, considering our place in God’s eternal plan to unite all things in Christ.

2024 Santo Domingo Conference: The Centrality of the Gospel October 4–5 Gather with us at our Spanish-language conference, where we’ll immerse ourselves in the life-giving truth at the heart of the Christian faith outlined in Romans 5.

2024 Mediterranean Study Cruise: The Cradle of Christianity October 11–21 Set sail with us on our study cruise to key locations from the New Testament and early church history. All along the way, you’ll receive biblical teaching to bring home the significance of each site.

Register today to save your spot for one of these upcoming events. You can find additional details for each event on our Events page.

Stream all of the messages from last week’s West Coast Conference for free on Ligonier.org the Ligonier app, and YouTube.

Main Sessions

The Faith Once for All Delivered by Burk Parsons Always Ready by Stephen Nichols The Unknown God by W.Robert Godfrey Is Truth Dead? by Ravi Zacharias God’s Unchanging Word by Steven Lawson Origin, Meaning, Morality, Destiny by Ravi Zacharias The Word Became Flesh by W. Robert Godfrey The Power of God by Derek Thomas

Q&A Sessions

Questions & Answers with Godfrey, Nichols, and Zacharias Questions & Answers with Godfrey, Lawson, Nichols, and Thomas

Optional Sessions

Preaching and Apologetics by Steven Lawson Apologetics and the Local Church by Burk Parsons How the Early Church Used Apologetics by W. Robert Godfrey Applied Apologetics by Stephen Nichols

Secure your spot today for our 2019 National Conference, He Is Holy, and save $80.**_

In some circles, particularly Reformed circles, Bible colleges have a bad reputation. There are a number of reasons for this, and some of these reasons are quite understandable. In the first place, Bible colleges in North America developed from the Bible institute movement of the late nineteenth century. While the Bible institutes were largely conservative and evangelical, they were dominated by dispensationalist theology. Even today, almost all Bible colleges in North America are dispensationalist. Second, many of the early Bible institutes/colleges became negatively influenced by a strand of anti-intellectualism that downplayed the importance of high academic standards. This was accompanied by a “dumbing down” of the curriculum in some Bible colleges. Third, and more recently, the church in the late twentieth century was plagued by diploma mills using the words “Bible college” in their names. These operations mailed worthless “degrees” to anyone who sent them money.

Reformation Bible College (RBC) is striving to redefine what a Bible college is and can be. Unlike most Bible colleges, RBC is inspired by the model of John Calvin’s Academy in sixteenth-century Geneva. This means that RBC focuses on teaching the content of the Bible, but we do not teach it through the lens of dispensationalist theology. RBC is self-consciously Reformed. The historical confessions of the Reformed faith (for example, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt, and the Westminster Standards) express our theology.

RBC also rejects anti-intellectualism and the minimal academic expectations that usually accompany it. The administration and faculty of RBC believe that the command to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind impacts the way we approach every aspect of education. This is reflected in our curriculum, in our faculty, and in the specific requirements of individual courses. Our curriculum is challenging. All students in the four-year Bachelor of Arts in Theology program are required to take core courses that include seven semesters of English Bible covering every book of Scripture, a course in hermeneutics, two semesters of biblical theology, seven semesters of systematic theology, two courses in church history, and at least four semesters of the Great Works. For those who desire an emphasis on the biblical languages, the Biblical Studies major requires three semesters of Greek and three semesters of Hebrew followed by a capstone course in advanced biblical exegesis. The Christian Thought major requires three semesters of historical theology, three semesters of philosophy, and two semesters of apologetics. The Sacred Music major includes eight semesters of applied music, four semesters of music theory, six semesters of music skills (including vocal and instrumental pedagogy, composition, and conducting), six courses on music and worship, and eight semesters of ensemble.

The requirements of the individual courses are also demanding and reflect our commitment to high academic standards. Although the requirements vary depending on the level of the course, the topic, and the professor, students read on average between 800 and 1200 pages per course. This reading includes primary sources as well as some of the

Exodus 3 narrates the well-known account of God’s revealing Himself to Moses in the burning bush and commissioning him to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But that was only part of Moses’ mission. The other task to which the Lord called Moses was to address the Israelites. He was to command the Israelites in the name of God to engage in the largest strike in history. In absolute defiance of the power and authority of Pharaoh, they were to leave Egypt and go out to the desert to worship God at His mountain. And, of course, these events ended in the exodus.

Just think of Moses’ task. Moses, an old man who had been tending sheep in the wilderness for years, was to somehow get an appointment with Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler on earth in that day. But in many respects it was even more difficult to go to the people of Israel and say, “Never mind the chariots of Egypt and the armies of Pharaoh. Follow me and I will lead you to the Promised Land.” What slave in his right mind would take Moses at his word? And that is the problem that is addressed particularly in Exodus 4, where Moses says to God, “They will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” And the Lord gave Moses many proofs to show the Israelites that his claims were credible.

In this encounter, Moses raised the question of apologetics, the question of how the believer is to defend the faith as reasonable. He had to convince the Israelites of the truth of the mandate and that it came from God. He was dealing with the in-house problem of apologetics, namely, that he had to persuade the church—the people of God—of the veracity of the Word of God and its claim on their lives.

The task of apologetics, of defending the truth of Christianity, has at least three main aims. I think most Christians are familiar with two of these. First, apologetics is to provide an answer to the critics of the Christian faith, to those who seek to undermine the rational basis for Christianity or who critique it from the standpoint of another philosophy or religion. Paul did that in Acts 17 when he confronted the Epicureans and the Stoics, followers of two popular philosophical schools in his day. Early Christian apologists such as Justin Martyr wrote to the Roman emperor to defend Christians against false accusations of atheism (because Christians did not worship the Roman gods) and cannibalism (because pagans misunderstood the Lord’s Supper).

The second major aim of apologetics is to tear down the intellectual idols of our culture. Here, apologetics operates on the offensive, pointing out the inconsistencies and errors of other faiths and worldviews. The third, and what I believe is the most valuable, aim of apologetics is to encourage the saints, to shore up the church—just as the first concern

What are your responsibilities in your new roles as President of Reformation Bible College (RBC) and Chief Academic Officer for Ligonier Ministries?

First, I need to say how humbling these appointments are. And, it's also rather exciting. Under the supervision and direction of the board of directors, the president of Reformation Bible College governs all aspects of the college from the staff and faculty to the students and curriculum. I will not be alone in this, as I will be working alongside Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr., rector and chair of theology and philosophy, and Dr. Michael Morales, chair of biblical studies.

Ligonier is primarily a teaching ministry that delivers content in a variety of ways. As chief academic officer, I will be working with Chris Larson, Ligonier's president, in maintaining the theological emphasis and voice of Ligonier, which has proven beneficial to so many in the church over these last four decades. In both of these positions, I will be reporting directly to Dr. R.C. Sproul.

So, as you can see, it is all rather humbling and exciting. Ultimately, the responsibility of both positions is to maintain theological fidelity. History abounds with tragic examples of ministries and colleges losing their moorings. Above all, institutions need God's grace to stay true to Him, and they also need to be intentional and committed. Dr. Sproul has cast the vision and set the course. These two roles that I now fill, along with many other roles at Ligonier and RBC where others serve, are in place so that the next generation, and generations to come, may grow in their knowledge of God—to increase their zeal to serve God, and to glorify and enjoy God forever.

What excites you most about the ministry of RBC?

It would have to be both the potential of the faculty and the potential of the students. Gathered in Sanford, Fla., is a world-class collection of scholars. They are a delightful mix of seasoned and young faculty, all very capable. All are published, all have doctorates, and all are committed churchmen. Augustine once said that a good teacher is one who loves the subject, loves the students, and, above all, loves God. That is the RBC faculty, and they will be a substantial resource for the church for years to come.

Then there are the students. They will be taught the full range of biblical studies, the complete run of church history, doctrine, philosophy, and apologetics. On top of that, RBC has a great works curriculum, affording students the opportunity to engage classic texts from the early Greeks to the present day. And they are taught by godly men who love their subjects and are called to make disciples of their students. When you consider all of this, you can't help but get excited about the potential of RBC.

What would you like to see RBC accomplish over the next ten years? Twenty years? Fifty years?

First and foremost would be faithfulness—faithfulness as an institution to the Reformed faith and to the particular theological

The first time the word church is mentioned in the New Testament, it comes from the lips of Jesus. To a ragtag band of Apostles, He declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). With these words, Jesus set a course to change the world. The twentieth-century scholar Alfred North Whitehead once suggested that the development of Western thought is a series of footnotes on Plato. While the prominence of the famous Greek philosopher is undeniable, Jesus’ assertion is even more far-reaching. The entire history of the world is an unpacking of Jesus’ claim to build His church in hostile territory.

Several observations about Jesus’ comments are worth considering. First, Jesus promised to build His church. At its most basic level, the church represents a gathering of blood-bought sinners who belong to Jesus.

Second, the building of the church is God’s plan, crystallized in the Great Commission, for the salvation of His people throughout history and around the world. Third, the church will exist amid unthinkable wickedness both inside and outside her boundaries. Yet no power of darkness—heresy or hellion, death or division, sin or Satan—will be able ultimately to overtake her. The final victory has already been secured for Christ’s church in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Given that Jesus is the owner, builder, and defender of the church, followers of Christ are left with a fundamental question: What should be the distinguishing mark of Christians when they gather together to worship the triune God, carry out the work of everyday ministry activities, and engage in the rigors of apologetics and evangelism? Stated succinctly, How shall we then live as Christ’s church?

One answer may be found in the Upper Room Discourse in the gospel of John. On the heels of Judas’ exit to betray Him, Jesus offers a parting exhortation to His frazzled disciples in order to prepare them for His crucifixion: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). To overcome a world vandalized by betrayal and death, Jesus directs His followers to love each other.

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At first blush, Jesus’ call to love may ring hollow. In our day, love is pervasive but impotent. Sadly, many think of love in terms of self-gratification rather than self-sacrifice. For them, love is only a feeling that must be coddled and accommodated. As a result, love in our culture is a commodity to be used, not a commitment to be cultivated. For Christ, however, love is more than whimsical palpitations.

In one sense, there is nothing new about Jesus’ command. As early as Leviticus 19:18, God’s people were instructed to love their neighbors. What is new is not the principle but the paradigm. We are to love each other, Jesus says, “just as I have loved you.” The sacrificial

an invitation to teach at his alma mater Princeton Theological Seminary, where he distinguished himself as a mighty champion of the Reformed faith. He was a contemporary of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck who were both from the Netherlands. Though he was closely related to those Dutch theologians’ understanding of historic Calvinism, Warfield was more in line with the Scottish Reformed tradition than that of the Dutch. He had what seemed at the time to be a minor disagreement with Abraham Kuyper over the best way to defend Christian truth in the science of apologetics. That difference escalated among some of the students of Warfield and Kuyper. In 1929, Princeton Theological Seminary split, and its greatest thinkers moved to Philadelphia to become Westminster Theological Seminary. Cornelius Van Til, a brilliant young theologian who followed in the footsteps of Kuyper and Bavinck, affirmed a position on apologetics different from B.B. Warfield. One of Van Til’s most able students was John Gerstner. The irony is that though Gerstner was a student directly of Van Til, he came to the conclusion that Warfield was correct in this intramural debate with Kuyper. As a result, Gerstner continued the Warfield tradition, and Van Til continued the tradition of Kuyper. The students of Van Til include men such as John Frame and the late Greg Bahnsen.

As a student of John Gerstner, I was introduced early to Warfield and was convinced of the view of Warfield over Kuyper. To this day, we see these two strands of apologetics competing for acceptance within the Reformed community. It’s only to our detriment that we don’t have in our own day men of the stature of Warfield or Kuyper to carry these issues on. In the meantime, I am profoundly grateful for the legacy that has enriched the whole church as a result of the theological contributions of B.B. Warfield. I believe that Warfield is second only to Jonathan Edwards as America’s greatest theologian.

This article is part of the Historical Figures collection.

Francis August Schaeffer was born January 30, 1912, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He became a Christian at age 18 and faithfully served the Lord until he went to glory on May 15, 1984. In God's grace, his life and service was—and continues to be—mightily used of the Lord.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Schaeffer's birth.

Schaeffer & Ligonier

Not everyone is aware how even today Schaeffer's ministry echos in much of our work and that it was significantly formative in Dr. Sproul's original vision for Ligonier. Burk Parsons writes:

"During his ministerial tenure, R.C. began to speak at churches and conferences throughout the Midwest, and after two years at the church, he received the call to begin a study center near Pittsburgh. The idea was to provide a Christian study center modeled after Francis Schaeffer’s European study center, L’Abri. After speaking with Dr. Schaeffer on a couple of occasions, and after much thought and prayer, R.C. and his family relocated to the mountains of western Pennsylvania where Mrs. Dora Hillman had purchased fifty-three acres and constructed a building on the property. In 1971, they moved from the bustling city of Cincinnati to the quiet countryside of Ligonier. There they established the Ligonier Valley Study Center, and for thirteen years students came from around the country to study Scripture, theology, philosophy, apologetics, and church history. The students studied, slept, and ate in the Sproul’s home and in the homes of others in the study center community."

In this letter, R.C. Sproul Jr. shares his memories of meeting Francis Schaeffer in the early days of the Ligonier Valley Study Center.

What was Francis Schaeffer's biggest concern for the church in America?

Dr. Sproul recalls the following conversation with Schaeffer:

About thirty years ago, I shared a taxi cab in St. Louis with Francis Schaeffer. I had known Dr. Schaeffer for many years, and he had been instrumental in helping us begin our ministry in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, in 1971. Since our time together in St. Louis was during the twilight of Schaeffer’s career, I posed this question to him: “Dr. Schaeffer, what is your biggest concern for the future of the church in America?” Without hesitation, Dr. Schaeffer turned to me and spoke one word: “Statism.” Schaeffer’s biggest concern at that point in his life was that the citizens of the United States were beginning to invest their country with supreme authority, such that the free nation of America would become one that would be dominated by a philosophy of the supremacy of the state.

Schaeffer's Published Works

The God Who Is There Escape from Reason Death in the City Pollution and the Death of Man The Church at the End of the 20th Century The Mark of the Christian The Church Before the Watching World True Spirituality He Is There and He Is Not Silent Basic Bible Studies Genesis in Space and Time The New Super-Spirituality