Language & Theology

by Gordon H. Clark

Christianity has come under sustained attack in the twentieth century, not only from those who are obvious unbelievers, but from teachers in theological seminaries and churches as well. One argument frequently used to undermine Christianity is the alleged inadequacy of human language to express divine truth. Statements about God, so we are told, are mythological, analogical, or allegorical; they are not - they cannot be - literally true. But if words are inadequate, if human words cannot express the divine Word, then the Bible cannot be a revelation from God. The whole of Christianity rests upon the adequacy of words, for the revelation is conveyed by means of words. When God spoke to Moses and the prophets, when he guided the pens of Peter and Paul, he used words - human words. In Language and Theology, Gordon Clark presents a masterful and devastating analysis of those secular and religious thinkers who deny that human words can express divine truth. This is an issue that is of vital importance to all, for all churches and seminaries have been influenced by the anti-Christian notion that human words cannot teach divine truth.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy, Religion

152 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Gordon Haddon Clark was an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian. He was a primary advocate for the idea of presuppositional apologetics and was chairman of the Philosophy Department at Butler University for 28 years. He was an expert in pre-Socratic and ancient philosophy and was noted for his rigor in defending propositional revelation against all forms of empiricism and rationalism, in arguing that all truth is propositional and in applying the laws of logic. His system of philosophy is sometimes called Scripturalism.

The Trinty Foundation continues to publish his writings.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FAMED CALVINIST PHILOSOPHER/APOLOGIST DISCUSSES THE PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Gordon Haddon Clark (1902-1985) was an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian, who was chairman of the Philosophy Department at Butler University for 28 years. He wrote many books, such as aA Christian View of Men and Things,' 'Thales to Dewey, An Introduction to Christian Philosophy,' 'Religion, Reason and Revelation,' 'God and Evil: The Problem Solved,' 'God's Hammer: The Bible and Its Critics,' etc.

He criticizes the view of A.J. Ayer (in 'Language, Truth and Logic'), arguing, "if the condemnation of theft and murder cannot be rationally justified, Ayer's objection to them is mere personal, subjective emotion... Public education and governmental action have tended to eradicate Christian morality. But against those who still oppose murder and advocate capital punishment, Ayer has no rational argument. He has simply a humanistic emotion." (Pg. 50-51)

He states that "If (Herbert) Fiegl made a false step here, it was in suspecting that the world in some respects is 'cruel' and 'deplorable.' These are words that have no meaning for the positivists. Ethical terms have no empirical basis and are therefore nonsense." (Pg. 55)

Less convincingly, he criticizes Wittgenstein's 'Philosophical Investigations' and its concept of "language games" as follows: "A definition of 'game,' or even of one game, tennis, does not depend on a corporeal continuum. In tennis the balls may change; in baseball it hardly ever happens that a single ball survives an inning. Hence, at this point Wittgenstein's attempt to prove that language cannot be defined, fails." (Pg. 70) He also states, "Attention is called to certain statements that seem so obviously untrue that one is completely baffled as to why Wittgenstein made them." (Pg. 77)

Clark's book, while uneven, is a useful Christian critique in an area of philosophy that has few Christian critiques.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the first half of the book is nearly unreadable (not because Clark does not write clearly, but he is explaining and/or quoting the logical positivists, whose ideas are practically incoherent), the end, Clark's Christian Construction, is very helpful.