text:
package com.google.errorprone.matchers;

import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertWithMessage;

import com.google.errorprone.CompilationTestHelper;
import com.google.errorprone.VisitorState;
import com.google.errorprone.annotations.CompileTimeConstant;
import com.google.errorprone.scanner.Scanner;
import com.google.errorprone.scanner.ScannerSupplier;
import com.sun.source.tree.AssignmentTree;
import com.sun.source.tree.ExpressionTree;
import com.sun.tools.javac.main.Main.Result;
import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.junit.runners.JUnit4;

/** {@link CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcher}Test */
@RunWith(JUnit4.class)
public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTest {

  @Test
  public void testMatches_matchesLiteralsAndStaticFinals() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  private final String final_string = \"bap\";",
      "  private final int final_int = 29;",
      "  private static final int static_final_int = 29;",
      "  public void m() { ",
      "    String s1; s1 = \"boop\"; s1 = \"boop\" + final_string;",
      "    int int2; int2 = 42;",
      "    Integer int3; int3 = 42 * final_int; int3 = 12 - static_final_int;",
      "    boolean bool4; bool4 = false;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };

    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("s1", true);
    expectedMatches.put("int2", true);
    expectedMatches.put("int3", true);
    expectedMatches.put("bool4", true);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  @Test
  public void testMatches_nullLiteral() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  private static final String static_final_string = null;",
      "  public void m() { ",
      "    String s1; s1 = null;",
      "    String s2; s2 = static_final_string;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };
    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("s1", true);
    // Even though s2 has the compile-time constant value "null", it's not
    // a literal.  I don't know how to distinguish this, but I doubt this is
    // an important use case.
    expectedMatches.put("s2", false);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  @Test
  public void testMatches_doesNotMatchNonLiterals() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  private final int nonfinal_int;",
      "  public CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase(int i) { ",
      "    nonfinal_int = i;",
      "  }",
      "  public void m(String s) { ",
      "    String s1; s1 = s;",
      "    int int2; int2 = s.length();",
      "    Integer int3; int3 = nonfinal_int; int3 = 14 * nonfinal_int;",
      "    boolean bool4; bool4 = false;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };
    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("s1", false);
    expectedMatches.put("int2", false);
    expectedMatches.put("int3", false);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  @Test
  public void testMatches_finalCompileTimeConstantMethodParameters() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "import com.google.errorprone.annotations.CompileTimeConstant;",
      "public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  public void m1(final @CompileTimeConstant String s) { ",
      "    String s1; s1 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public void m2(@CompileTimeConstant String s) { ",
      "    s = null;",
      "    String s2; s2 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public void m3(final String s) { ",
      "    String s3; s3 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public void m4(@CompileTimeConstant String s) { ",
      "    String s4; s4 = s;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };
    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("s1", true);
    expectedMatches.put("s2", false);
    expectedMatches.put("s3", false);
    expectedMatches.put("s4", true);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  @Test
  public void testMatches_finalCompileTimeConstantConstructorParameters() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "import com.google.errorprone.annotations.CompileTimeConstant;",
      "public class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  public CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase(",
      "      final @CompileTimeConstant String s) { ",
      "    String s1; s1 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase(",
      "      @CompileTimeConstant String s, int foo) { ",
      "    s = null;",
      "    String s2; s2 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase(",
      "      final String s, boolean foo) { ",
      "    String s3; s3 = s;",
      "  }",
      "  public CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase(",
      "      @CompileTimeConstant String s, long foo) { ",
      "    String s4; s4 = s;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };
    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("s1", true);
    expectedMatches.put("s2", false);
    expectedMatches.put("s3", false);
    expectedMatches.put("s4", true);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  // TODO(xtof): We'd like to eventually support other cases, but I first need
  // to determine with confidence that the checker can ensure all initializations
  // and assignments to such variables are compile-time-constant.
  // For now, the annotation's target is restricted to ElementType.PARAMETER.
  @Test
  public void testCompileTimeConstantAnnotationOnlyAllowedOnParameterOrField() {
    assertThat(CompileTimeConstant.class.getAnnotation(Target.class).value())
        .isEqualTo(new ElementType[] {ElementType.PARAMETER, ElementType.FIELD});
  }

  @Test
  public void conditionalExpression() {
    String[] lines = {
      "package test;",
      "abstract class CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase {",
      "  abstract boolean g();",
      "  public void m(boolean flag) { ",
      "    boolean bool1; bool1 = flag ? true : g();",
      "    boolean bool2; bool2 = flag ? g() : false;",
      "    boolean bool3; bool3 = flag ? true : false;",
      "  }",
      "}"
    };

    Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches = new HashMap<>();
    expectedMatches.put("bool1", false);
    expectedMatches.put("bool2", false);
    expectedMatches.put("bool3", true);
    assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(expectedMatches, lines);
  }

  // Helper methods.
  private void assertCompilerMatchesOnAssignment(
      final Map<String, Boolean> expectedMatches, String... lines) {
    Map<String, Boolean> unmatched = new HashMap<>(expectedMatches);
    final Matcher<ExpressionTree> matcher = new CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcher();
    final Scanner scanner =
        new Scanner() {
          @Override
          public Void visitAssignment(AssignmentTree t, VisitorState state) {
            String lhs = t.getVariable().toString();
            if (expectedMatches.containsKey(lhs)) {
              unmatched.remove(lhs);
              boolean matches = matcher.matches(t.getExpression(), state);
              if (expectedMatches.get(lhs)) {
                assertWithMessage("Matcher should match expression" + t.getExpression())
                    .that(matches)
                    .isTrue();
              } else {
                assertWithMessage("Matcher should not match expression" + t.getExpression())
                    .that(matches)
                    .isFalse();
              }
            }
            return super.visitAssignment(t, state);
          }
        };

    CompilationTestHelper.newInstance(ScannerSupplier.fromScanner(scanner), getClass())
        .expectResult(Result.OK)
        .addSourceLines("test/CompileTimeConstantExpressionMatcherTestCase.java", lines)
        .doTest();
    assertWithMessage("Not all matches were found").that(unmatched).isEmpty();
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Falck Museet er et teknisk museum der udstiller redningskøretøjer fra Falck. Det er indrettet i en bygning på Egeskov Slot omtrent midtvejs mellem Odense og Svendborg. Museet drives af den frivillige forening Falck-Museets Venner. Oprindeligt lå museet i Billund, men i 2000 lukkede det for at blive flyttet til Egeskov Slot.

I alt findes der 60-70 udryknings- og redningskøretøjer. Blandt de udstillede køretøjer er en ambulance, som blev brugt i tv-serien Matador. I 2013 modtog museet en 12 år gammel babyambulance af mærket Chevrolet fra Nordjyllands Amt.
Museet har haft et samarbejde med Brandmuseet i Nykøbing Falster. Falck museet har bl.a. overdraget en stigesprøjte, der havde været i brug i Nykøbing og flere andre køretøjer til Brandmuseet. Der afholdes desuden temadage, hvor redningskøretøjer fra Danmark og flere andre lande samles for at udstille dem sammen på Egeskov.

Falck Museet var landets eneste museum dedikeret til Falck frem til 2015, hvor Falck Museum åbnede i Horsens.

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger
 Falck Museet  på Egeskov Slots hjemmeside
 Egeskov Slot

Museer i Region Syddanmark
Tekniske museer i Danmark
Bygninger, konstruktioner og anlæg i Faaborg-Midtfyn Kommune
Museer etableret i 2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


At Zenni Optical. $8 for lenses and frames, $5 for shipping. Thought the glasses-sporting folks would like to know of that company! I think we're going to order 3 or 4 pairs for Dave since he can be really hard on his glasses.
We won't get internet at the house anymore unless we buy our own modem thing. I don't think we will because we would have to sign a two year contract. Oh well, this is one of the reasons I am looking forward to coming home: Getting real internet. At least for our next mission I will know what to expect and be a bit smarter about preparing for things. Figuring out communications has been harder than I thought. Part of the problem is we never see our landlords to ask them questions.
Things are good here. Dad posted already and I don't know what he told you. I will close and if I need to add anything it will be a comment.
Well, we are at ACS using their really slow computers, but at least they are computers. We can't be trusted with cell modem since I broke it, so this is our fate.
This week has seemed really long as it seemed like at least 7 days. We did had some diversion as we met with the stake president and the architectural committee for a new chapel in Graf. They looked all around the area to find a better place since they like to have churches by train stations or public transportation, but they were convinced that Graf is here to stay, well, the American's are here to stay in Graf and that it will grow. So, in another 5 years they may have a new chapel here. We expect another 50 or more active members to move into our ward in the next six months or so. We already have over 100 in sacrament meetings and when the soldiers get back from Iraq, we'll have another 30-50 more. Could be a crowded building, but that is okay.
The stake president also called me to be in the dry council, so I have to go to Nurnberg 2 x a month for meetings and every other month travel somewhere to give a talk. Mom is an advisory member of the stake RS. She is lucky enough to get to travel with me. I'll see if I can go without her on the High Council only week. We do have another High councilor who lives close by we can ride with.
We are excited about the baptism on Saturday. We'll send pictures, but i don't know exactly how to download them since I can't attach an external drive to this computer. I guess we'll have to take our laptop to member's homes who have wi-fi.
We are still being fed well. We can call you more often, but we don't know when you are available. It is easy for Leslie and Carolyn since they are avilable during the day – but you guys! We will have to try on the weekends.
The Flat Win Company of Olympia, WA. They sell twigs and combs. That's what they have.
We are weak. We went and retrieved Heidi from the animal shelter today. Everyone was talking about getting a puppy and my (somewhat skewed) thinking was that perhaps if we already had a (house trained, non toy-chewing) dog, perhaps the talk of puppies would cease. I was right. So now we just need to figure out how to keep her from running away. The kids were so excited. You should have seen their faces when they got home from school!
And to dispute the validity of Carolyn's so called "instructions," I present to the court the following: Regan spent plenty of time in a dog kennel and she has turned out just fine. So she crawls around and barks a lot, so what?
Having gone skiing only once last season, I went Saturday and doubled the number of excursions this year. I once again went with my friend Laird, only this time I went to Steven's Pass. I'd never been there, and didn't know what to expect. I've been to two other pass ski areas in Washington, one of them is good, but very small (White Pass) and the other is more expansive, but not particularly interesting (Snoqualmie).
Steven's Pass has the best of both worlds. It's large enough to have plenty of trails, and the trails have plenty of variety to them. I even went up a lift that only serves expert trails – those trails weren't as difficult as I expected they would be (Chute 5 at Silver Star still holds the title as the most difficult slope I've ever been brave enough to go down). It was a clear, sunny day and I enjoyed myself immensely.
And as an added bonus: We got there late, and paid for half day passes. The cashier asked me if I was with a season ticket holder, to which I answered no. Another cashier said "These two have season tickets," and my cashier nodded and said "Looks like you have some new friends," and then gave me a $12 discount on my lift ticket. Score!
So all in all, a great day on the mountain. It was a day that reminded me why I love skiing.
Leslie, thought you could use some tips. Or for anyone who is ever charged with the care of an infant! Hope these are helpful for you.
Easter dinner, we had rabbit, kidding!
We had a wonderful Easter day. Church was great, we had two people in gospel essentials and had a wonderful lesson. After church we went over to the Morris home where we had dinner with the Morris family, the Shaw family and the Bradleys. Cori Morris had also brought home Heidi Campbell's two children because she got sick at church. So we had 7 adults and 6 children. She was expecting more people, but there is sickness in the ward again. There were lots of leftovers. We made up some bags of leftovers for several of the people who were supposed to be there. We had a good chance to sit and chat, which we don't get to do that often. It was very nice. Cori had done a beautiful job of decorating. It was springy and colorful, even though outside it was snowing and miserable. The first three days of spring and we had snow all three days. It is as cold right now as it was in January.
We left their house about 5:15 and delivered some things to people and then headed over to the Hoggan household to eat again and to meet Bruce's parents. It was fun and we enjoyed our visit there. We told them about what they should see in their one day in Berlin. That was hard. I told them they could spend a week there and still miss things that they should see.
We got home about 7:30 and were quite tired. I had a swollen glands and a little bit of a sore throat. I don't think the swollen glands are from talking. I don't want to be sick. We are around sick people often, so I won't be surprised if I catch something.
Today we spent some time writing down our experience with Jose for President Wondra. He wants us to send it to him. We also prepared some thoughts for the two German speaking sisters that we plan on visiting today. We headed off to the mess hall for lunch and will drop by the church to pick up some "woods" for sister Raabe before we head over there. Tonight we have a dinner appointment with the Najdawi family, they are great. I plan on teaching them some games while we are there.
Wish it would warm up here. The seeds that we planted have sprouted, but it is too cold outside for them. Spring will get here and then dad will be too hot, but I'll be just right. Love you guys.
Dix took the Heidi to the animal shelter yesterday. Hope we didn't screw up our kids' lives permanently. It was really hard for all of us. I can't believe how many tears I've shed over that stupid mutt.
So speaking of that, we got Little House on the Prairie, the first season, on DVD from the library this week. We watched a few of them today. Landon especially liked them. Don't you just hate that nasty Nellie Oleson? I have all nine or so seasons on hold at the library. We're so eclectic. We also have all the Star Trek seasons on hold (Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager). Maybe we could combine them to form a new TV show…Star Trek: Deep Prairie, or Little House on the Enterprise. What do you think?
I forgot to mention it the other day…when Carolyn was over the other day, Lacy was really whiny and said, "But mom, I'm so very, very, very thirsty." After I picked myself off the floor from laughing so hard, I told Carolyn how much she deserves to have Lacy for a daughter. So very, very much. And in return, I also deserve my kids. I saw Carin Bentley yesterday and she described me in my High School years as "exuberant." I like that word. I happen to have six EXUBERANT kids. Thanks Carin for the grate adjective!


text:
10 May 2012 2253 Views
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures Announce Batman Tumbler Tour!
by Caleb Hamilton
Have you ever wanted to sit in the cockpit of Batman's armored vehicle, the Tumbler? How about tear down the streets of Gotham on the Bat-Pod? You probably won't be able to do either of those, but you'll get to see both vehicles up close! Today, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced the launch of a special coast-to-coast tour featuring Batman's Tumbler and Bat-Pod to promote the release of The Dark Knight Rises, sponsored by Mountain Dew and IMAX! Find out if the tour is rolling into a city near you after the jump.
The Tumbler and the Bat-Pod have been Batman's main choices of transportation in Christopher Nolan's last two Bat-flicks. Unfortunately, *SPOILER ALERT* the Tumbler was destroyed by the Joker in The Dark Knight, which lead to the debut of the Bat-Pod, a motorcycle-like vehicle. Both will return in The Dark Knight Rises, but may not be used much by Batman. These two high-powered vehicles are making a cross-country journey kicking off this Saturday in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Tumbler Tour is a 26-city tour promoting the upcoming release of the Chris Nolan's conclusion to The Dark Knight legend. You can check the list below to see if there are any stops near you. If you don't see one, check the tour's website as more stops are scheduled to be added soon.
5/12 Bentonville, AR
5/15 Tulsa, OK
5/19 Overland Park, KS
5/21 Kansas City, MO
5/25 Chicago, IL
5/27 Washington, DC
5/28 Baltimore, MD
5/30 Philadelphia, PA
6/1 Buffalo, NY
6/7 Toronto Canada
6/10 Montreal Canada
6/12 Purchase, NY
6/13 Columbus, OH
6/15 Lansing, MI
6/16 Detroit, MI
6/17 Brooklyn, MI
6/19 Indianapolis, IN
6/21 Nashville, TN
6/22 Knoxville, TN
6/23 Atlanta, GA
6/25 Dallas, TX
6/27 San Antonio, TX
6/29 El Paso, TX
7/1 Albuquerque, NM
7/2 Phoenix, AZ
7/7 Los Angeles, CA
Check out some photos from the launch of the tour as the Tumbler gets packed up in LA getting ready to head to the tour's first stop this Saturday!
The legend ends when The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters and IMAX on July 20th!
Legendary PicturesThe Dark Knight RisesTumbler TourWarner Bros
POTUS on film
May interest You
We Have a Podcast! Presenting Polit-Flix: a Discussion of Film and Politics. Episode 1..
Throwback Thursday Interview with the Vampire Reviewed by Kyle Jonathan Did Tom Cruise 'cut it' as Vampire Lestat?
An Open Letter from Dave Lo Pan to Warner Bros in response to the Gracie Law Affair

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Airport Railings Group of Companies
Contributions and Acknowledgements
You are here: Home » Contributions and Acknowledgements
Airport Railings is not limited to design work; we also expand to the growth in knowledge and access to exotic materials and production methods. More…
Review our catalogues for our standard product selections. More…
A summary of Frequently Asked Questions (with answers), related to Railings and Stairs. More…
Our clients may benefit from a variety of exclusive promotions and opportunities. Promotions offered only when indicated here online. Stay tuned…
It is our priority to stay current with industry trends, rules and regulations. We have invested in a robust technical infrastructure and superior craftsmen in our pursuit of technical proficiency and a broadened range of creative abilities. More…
Our design studio homes, our innovative concepts and personalized presentations for our clients. Stay tuned…
Awards & Acknowledgements
For the past 25 years developers and trade shows have been celebrating outstanding achievements within the industry by hosting annual award ceremonies for all contractors. Airport Railings Group of Companies has since been awarded for our innovation, superior craftsmanship, quality and service.
We have been honoured to have received these acknowledgements and they have all contributed to our value. We pride in our work and are happy to have had many opportunities to work with several reputable developers and attend many international tradeshows who have contributed to our success.
Charitable Contributions & Sponsorships
Since we first opened our doors 35 years ago, we have strongly believed in giving back to individuals and our community. Throughout the years we have contributed to several events, foundations and groups, such as the following:
Princess Margaret Home Lottery
Annually Airport Railings Group of Companies has been asked to contribute to lottery homes-one main showcase home and up to a dozen smaller homes. We have contributed by designing, manufacturing and installing unique wood, glass, aluminum and wrought iron railings, staircases, fences, gates, architectural details and more throughout the homes.
In the 80's and 90's, we went on several trade missions to promote Canadian products abroad
In Belgium, we showcased our Canadian products to the European market by installing samples of our stairs and railings in a contemporary log home, built by other Canadian trades, showcasing their products inside the trade show as well.
We travelled to Beijing, China on a federal trade mission promoting Canadian construction techniques and materials to several surrounding Asian countries. In collaboration with Canadian government departments (Industry, Immigration, Human Resources, International Trade and Commerce), we attended trade shows to offer our products and in turn we expanded our network by connecting with manufacturers in China who were also beneficial to us, equipped to manufacture our products. The goal for this trade mission was to increase international trade by finding mutual economical solutions.
In the past few years, we attended large Canadian construction shows in Toronto
We introduced our latest glass railings and stair systems, manufactured from various components we imported and modified from Europe. In 2007 we were awarded for newest innovation.
Currently Airport Railings Group of Companies is a founding member and part of an organization called SARA
SARA (Stairs And Railing Association) provides opportunity for groups of companies within the same trade to share thoughts, technical support and maintain product varieties offered in Ontario. This organization shares neutral ground between competitors to agree to building standards and maintain certain levels of quality by sharing technical information and concerns with developers and building codes.
Sponsored Humber Region Hospital Gala
Collaborated with developers and trades to donate a large sum of money to Humber River Hospital
For the past 10 years- Sponsored and Donated set designs, art installations and models to Events in GTA
Aided students who have apprenticed at our companies to manufacture large set designs, art installations and architectural model displays and entertainment for events held throughout the GTA.
Assisting students who have apprenticed at our companies to gain contacts, experience and build portfolios
Our desire to support future generations who wish to explore our industry by providing them with unlimited access to our: network, facilities, equipments, designers and materials.
AR Group of Companies
E-mail: info@airportrailings.com
7679 Kimbel Street
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
L5S 1A7
40th Anniversay 1976-2016
We wish to thank all our Partners, Customers and Employees to their distinguished participation towards...
The Annual Princess Margaret Home Lottery is just around the corner. Airport Railings Group of Companies...
I Wish Ferrari Sponsorship
Airport Railings Group of Companies is a proud sponsor of the annual "I Wish Ferrari" Event. Annually...
Copyright 2011 Airport Railings


Each afternoon, between your lunchtime drink and dinner, pair a piece of fruit or some raw vegetables with 2 tablespoons nuts, nut butter, or hummus. That's why eggs 7 day diet to lose belly fat one of the best foods for weight loss. Studies show that it has uniquely harmful effects on metabolic health 2. In less than six weeks on the program, Martha dropped over 20 pounds and an astonishing seven inches from her middle by combining the Zero Belly Foods with a pre-breakfast walk.
This is true, but it's important to keep in mind that not all fiber is created equal. If you do Zumba or CrossFit or power yoga or are in the midst of training for a marathon or the Miss Olympia contest, by all means continue.
Some studies have shown that 7 day diet to lose belly fat mL about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day reduces belly fat slightly 17 Foods That Fight the Fat Eating a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lowfat dairy and lean meats will help almost anyone lose weight. But nothing in my 20 years of health journalism has prepared me for the groundbreaking research that has emerged in just the last year—new science that shows exactly how we can turn off our fat genes and lose weight almost automatically.
Summary Exercise can be very effective if you are trying to lose belly fat.
Speaking three languages and working on a fourth, Styles is pursuing a Bachelor's in Linguistics and 7 day diet to lose belly fat to travel the world. I am never hungry.
As a result, you lose weight on a crash diet, but much of it is lean, healthy muscle tissue. In one study, 6 weeks of training just the abdominal muscles had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity This should help with your next step, which is regulating your caloric intake.
The best way to get more fiber is to eat a lot of plant foods like vegetables and fruit. Researchers speculate that the morning light synchronizes your metabolism and undercuts your fat genes.
Each delivers the three core nutrients protein, fiber, and fatand is based on can diet pills cause ulcers protein, which reduces both sugar and bloating that you often get from whey-based proteins. Start by eliminating junk foods like soda, potato chips, candy, baked goods and other sugary or fatty processed foods.
Foods That Fight the Fat Eating a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lowfat dairy and lean meats will help almost anyone lose weight.
Since the drinks average about calories each, this step alone will cut about to 1, calories out of your daily intake, which may take several additional pounds off your body in just seven days. Here's a complete guide to easy-to-digest plant proteins. Reunions come along from time to time.
Reach for apples, oranges, avocados, peas, broccoli, kidney beans and chickpeas. When people cut carbs, their appetite goes down and they lose weight These creative ways to eat avocado will help you up your intake. Liquid sugar is even worse in this regard.
Obesity shortened my own father's life, and for most of my childhood, I struggled with an extra 7 day diet to lose belly fat pounds as well. This 7-day cleanse can improve your chances of long-term adherence to a healthy weight-loss plan.
Exercise also has a number of other weight loss pill taken at bedtime benefits and can help you live a longer life. So make an effort to increase your intake of high-protein foods such as whole eggsfish, best diets out there, legumes, nuts, meat and dairy products. Choline, which is found also in lean meats, seafood, and collard greens, attacks lose weight in 47 days gene mechanism that triggers your body to store fat around your liver.
I'm just destined to be overweight.
Spot reduction best diets out there fat in one spot is not possible, and doing endless amounts of ab exercises will not make you lose fat from the belly. Legumes are also a good source, as well as some cereals like whole oats. Cut carbs from your diet Carb 7 day diet to lose belly fat is a very effective way to lose fat. Sometimes, taking charge feels good.
Include these foods in every meal to get more soluble fiber and to help get rid of belly fat. Check out these articles here for a calorie calculator and a list of free online tools adipex does it work apps to track what you are eating.
That's what you should aim for. Each provides insoluble fiber that helps reduce blood cholesterol and feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut.
I personally do this every 7 day diet to lose belly fat months. Slow and steady is the best way to reach any personal goal, but sometimes the slow undermines the steady. If you'd like snacks, you could eat a variety of sliced fruits and raw vegetables dipped in hummus, almond butter, plain yogurt or balsamic vinegar.
I added them to my diet, and almost immediately I lost the bloat," Bryan said.
Tailor the portions of food in each meal to help meet your caloric goals.
This includes sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary sodas, fruit juices and various high-sugar sports drinks. I can't face another diet.
Even foods marketed as health foods can contain huge amounts of sugar. Lose weight in 47 days Your One-Week Menu To make a one-week fat-loss menu, start with a list of healthful foods from each food group — fruits, vegetables, dairy, lean meats and whole grains -- that you enjoy.
Ixnay on the inksdray. These are the best protein sources in the diet.


The optical image stabilization prevents blurry pictures.
The large maximum aperture gives your photos a high depth of field.
When zooming in, the light intensity is reduced, so you can shoot manually for a shorter period of time.
The Sony SEL 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS for system cameras is a versatile lens for an all-round photographer. The image stabilization helps you get your photos in focus when zooming in, or when the light is low. With the maximum aperture of 3.5, you can create a great depth of field. This makes your subject stand out from the background. This comes in handy when you're using the camera for portrait photography. The high zoom range also makes the lens suitable for landscape and architecture photography. With a focal length of 18mm, a vast landscape will fit in your frame.


text:
Huskies Began O-Line Rebuild at Vegas Bowl
Victor Curne received his first real game time and played well in Boise State victory
Dan Raley
Outside of finding a new starting quarterback, the next most pressing need for the Washington football team in 2020 is to rebuild its offensive line.
The process began to take shape against Boise State at the Las Vegas Bowl.
Without much fanfare, redshirt freshman Victor Curne from Houston, Texas, lumbered onto the field to begin the second quarter and took over at right tackle. He didn't give up the position until late in the game. A huge guy with a massive lower trunk, he may not hand it over again.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds but seemingly much heavier than that, Curne moved people off the ball and pass-protected well as the UW piled up a 38-7 postseason victory.
On his first series, Curne shoved his Broncos defender down the field and sealed him off as Salvon Ahmed went around his right end on an 8-yard touchdown run. The new right tackle, as shown in the accompanying photo, was the first person to congratulate Ahmed in the end zone. It should have been the other way around.
"Victor Curne got his feet wet for some first real action and did a good job," departing Huskies coach Chris Petersen said following the game.
The coaching staff had to do some significant shuffling of the UW O-line for the Vegas Bowl with senior left tackle Trey Adams choosing to skip the game to protect his NFL interests and sophomore right guard Jaxson Kirkland ruled out and kept home with an assortment of leg injuries.
The Huskies moved senior Jared Hilbers from right tackle to left tackle and junior Luke Wattenberg and senior Nick Harris were available at their normal positions of left guard and center, respectively. Sophomore Henry Bainivalu replaced Kirkland at right guard for his second career start and senior Henry Roberts opened at right tackle for Hilbers.
Bainivalu, used more and more while appearing in every game this season, was selected UW offensive lineman of the game by the coaches. He's been properly groomed to step up in 2020.
Less obvious, Curne replaced Roberts for the Huskies' third offensive series and the young Texan logged his longest stint of the season in his seventh game. He looked light on his feet and hard for Broncos defenders to move.
Curne signed with Washington in 2017 after considering schools such as Arizona State, Colorado, Baylor, Missouri and Oklahoma State, among others. His commitment came the same day another Texas recruit, inside linebacker Nicholas Bolton, pledged to the Huskies. However, Bolton later backed out and accepted a scholarship from Missouri, and led the Tigers in tackles this season as a sophomore. Curne patiently waits his turn.
"The key factor that led me to choose UW over my other options was just the vision they had for me and the team," Curne told Scout.com at the time of his commitment. "I felt like they really were looking to develop me and get me to my fullest potential."
If the Huskies were to open the 2020 season today, consider the following starting offensive line, with three new faces, just one senior in the mix (with everyone's class standing updated here), and some altering of previous assignments:
Left tackle -- Kirkland, a 6-7, 323-pound junior, moves to the NFL money position after serving as a 25-game starter at right guard. He's the best of the bunch.
Left guard -- Wattenberg, a 6-5, 300-pound senior, is a 31-game starter combined at left guard and left tackle, who enters his fourth season as a first-teamer. He's been dependable.
Center -- Matteo Mele, a 6-5, 305-pound sophomore, played in five games this past season and started the UW's 51-27 victory at Arizona as a fill-in for an injured Harris. He appears ready to play more.
Right guard -- Bainivalu, the 6-6, 326-pound junior, made has second relief appearance as a starter in the Las Vegas Bowl and has appeared in 24 career games. He's positioned for full-time responsibility.
Right tackle -- Curne, the 6-3, 320-pound sophomore, played nearly three quarters of the Las Vegas Bowl and looked comfortable. It's his job to lose now.
Not be overlooked, the Huskies have a pair of oversized players waiting for their chance in 6-6, 346-pound Nate Kalepo, who was the backup left tackle in Vegas, and 6-6, 352-pound M.J. Ale, who was the backup at left guard. Both will be sophomores.
Jimmy Lake's coaching staff also signed five more offensive linemen three days before the Las Vegas Bowl, a group topped in reputation by 6-2, 312-pound guard/center Myles Murao from Torrance, Calif., who was ranked No. 2 nationally at his positions by various recruiting services.
"We have a lot of young talent," Petersen said. "There are some really good young players. We've recruited well to that position area."
Don James Coaching Tree Continues to Branch Out with Success
By Mike Martin
Class of 2022: UW Offensive Skill-Position Recruiting Wish List
Husky Legends
Ex-Husky Stewart's Rebounding Approach: 'It's How Bad You Want It'
By Dan Raley
Hook 'Em Horns: Reports Say Kwiatkowski Will Leave Huskies for Texas
Where UW Ranks Among College Basketball's Worst Teams in America
Kwiatkowski Linked to Texas as Sarkisian Fills Out his Staff
DL Recruit From New Zealand Takes UW Virtual Tour, Hoping for Offer
Road to 1991 Perfection: Donald Jones Recalls How 'One Mistake Could Have Killed It'


text:
Humanists express concerns about practices of religious groups amid COVID-19 crisis
Exceptional measures deployed to slow down the spread of COVID-19 show the need for a collective response to an issue that affects all sectors in society, with no exceptions. In this context, the European Humanist Federation expresses concerns about the practices of certain religious groups that are putting public health in jeopardy.
Since the coronavirus outbreak started, we have witnessed how some Catholic groups continue to open doors, hold services and perform rituals. Even worse, some Neocatechumenal and Evangelical denominations continue using the same chalice for all worshipers during religious services, and most Orthodox churches persisted in the rite of kissing religious images, or even administering communion using shared spoons, before religious service with public was banned. Currently, there are voices inside the Orthodox churches calling for a lift of the ban on public religious ceremonies for the Easter service.
The EHF exhorts religious leaders to call for the respect of laws and administrative authorities not to make any exceptions. Sponsored by high-ranking religious leaders, these practices do not only put at risk the lives of worshippers who attend services, but also the lives of their fellow citizens.
Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental right of paramount importance. However, it cannot be a ground for standing in the way of law and for justifying ongoing religious gatherings in times of confinement, when all other public or private gatherings are forbidden.
Therefore, the EHF urges all religious authorities to show respect and solidarity to all citizens, regardless their religion or lack thereof. We also call on all public authorities to prevent and inhibit further illegal gatherings and dangerous practices.
Religious groups must refrain from maintaining any religious practice that contravenes health measures. Public/State authorities should prosecute any person or institution that incites others to breach the law or to behave in a way that puts citizen's health in danger.
We also regret the statements by some religious leaders about the nature of the pandemic. The position of the Orthodox Church in Greece and Serbia is that the Coronavirus infection cannot be spread by the Holy Communion, a claim that is factually false and dangerous to public health. Claims that Jesus does not carry the virus, that the pandemic is a punishment from God or that it is a Jewish conspiracy are other examples.
The EHF stresses the importance of resorting to scientific evidence and listening to scientific experts when addressing the issue. We all have a collective responsibility not to contribute to the spread of misinformation.
EU Member States urged to relocate unaccompanied children from Greece's refugee camps
The situation of refugees and migrant groups amid the COVID-19 outbreak is demanding more than ever urgent action by European governments. The European...
Hungary: Extraordinary powers and their application by government are in serious breach of fundamental rights, democratic principles and the rule of law
Earlier this month, the European Humanist Federation signed an open letter to EU institutions about the grave breaches of democracy by Hungarian authorities...
The EHF supports #FreeMubarakBala week of protest
Mubarak Bala, the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested in his home on April 28, 2020 following allegations that he insulted...


Triple threats all around this fall with our fur selection! Whether you're sporting your fur vests to layer or because taking a snuggie to work is unacceptable, we got you! Get your iced coffee across the way. Indulge in a little online shopping and stay tuned for many more new styles coming your way.
Posted in Today's Look and tagged boutique, fall, fashion, fur, ootd, vest, womens clothing on August 21, 2015 by therageteam.


This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2015 at 7:03 am	and is filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
TV Shows >
The Berenstain Bears >
Watch The Berenstain Bears Season 3 Episode 2 - The Berenstain Bears and The Big Blooper / Nothing To Do
While at a friend's house, Sister watches a video intended for a teenage audience with colorful language that Sister repeats at the dinner table. Then, Mama finds Brother and Sister sad because they have nothing to do!
First Aired: May 10, 2019 - 24 Minutes Runtime
Watch The Berenstain Bears s3e2 Now
Prime Subscribers with PBS Kids
Watch The Berenstain Bears - The Berenstain Bears and The Big Blooper / Nothing To Do (s3 e2) Online - Watch online anytime anywhere: Buy, Rent
The Berenstain Bears, Season 3 Episode 2, is currently available to watch and stream on PBS KIDS. You can also buy, rent The Berenstain Bears on demand at Amazon Prime, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, iTunes online.


Romani women demonstrating in 2006 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The sign reads "Sterilize pickles, not women".
For the purpose of improving the position of women in the Czech Republic, the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued its Concluding Observations to the Czech Republic on 7 March, based on the Czech Government's Sixth Periodic Report to the Committee on upholding the UN Convention on Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination against Women. A delegation from the Czech Republic defended that report before the Committee in Geneva on 23 February.
The Committee is calling on the Czech Republic to take actions, for example, such as adopting an amendment to its electoral law introducing rules for the representation of women and men on candidate lists, or the introduction of measures to eliminate poverty among single mothers, or reducing disparities between the remuneration of women and men, as well as ensuring the availability of social services for victims of domestic violence, etc. In its report, the Committee also expressed its opinion of the illegal sterilizations of Romani women and is urging the Czech Government to adopt a mechanism for compensating these victims.
In accordance with the Committee's previous recommendations and with the recommendations made by the Czech Public Defender of Rights (the Ombudsman) in 2005, the Committee is once again urging the Czech Government to extend the current three-year time frame within which compensation for harms such as forced or involuntary sterilization can be sought. "Review the three-year time limit in the statute of limitations for bringing compensation claims in cases of coercive or non-consensual sterilizations with a view to extending it and, as a minimum, ensure that such time limit starts from the time of discovery of the real significance and all consequences of the sterilization by the victim rather than the time of injury," the recommendations state.
The Czech Republic is also urged to "prosecute and adequately punish perpetrator[s] of the illegal past practices of coercive or non-consensual sterilizations." The Government should also "appoint an independent committee to conduct research into the full extent of harm caused by the practice of involuntary sterilization, and support ongoing outreach to all potential applicants for compensation."
During the next two years, the Czech Government must submit information to the Committee about what steps have been taken to implement these recommendations. The Committee itself is an independent monitoring body of the UN tasked with overseeing the fulfillment of the Convention and formulating recommendations to each of the member states about that fulfillment.
In October 2015 the Czech Government rejected a draft bill to compensate the victims of illegal sterilizations from previous decades that had been drawn up by the team of Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD). According to that bill, women identified as eligible would have received up to CZK 300 000 (EUR 11 000) in compensation.
According to some comments made by other cabinet members about that proposal, the victims have been able to turn to the courts for such compensation and it should have been enough for them that the state has already expressed its regret to them and changed the rules for how such surgeries are performed. According to Deputy Human Rights Minister Martina Štěpánková, however, entitlement to financial compensation is statute-barred for these victims.
Štěpánková also expressed doubt that those women who were forcibly sterilized during the communist regime would ever have been allowed to sue at the time. A Charter 77 document on the status of Gypsies/Roma in Czechoslovakia was sent to the communist Government on 13 December 1978 that pointed out that Romani women were being illegally sterilized.
"In some districts the sterilization of Romani women is being carried out as a planned administrative practice and the success of district employees is being assessed during internal meetings according to the number of Romani women whom they have managed to talk into consenting to sterilization. These circumstances cannot be considered to consitute anything like objectivity. Often consent to sterilization is demagogically obtained by exploiting the offer of a cash prize in exchange. This is how sterilization is becoming one of the practices of the majority population against the minority population, leading to the prevention of births in the minority ethnic group," that document said.
Suspicions of forced illegal sterilizations in the Czech Republic, primarily of Romani women, were raised again in 2004 by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC). Dozens of women then complained to the Public Defender of Rights (the Ombudsman) and some also sued in court.
Czech Ombudsman Otakar Motejl first systematically worked on the topic in 2005. The Czech Government Human Rights Council's Committee against Torture proposed instituting compensation for the victims in 2006.
In 2009 the cabinet expressed regret for the illegal surgeries. The Czech Republic has been criticized by international organizations for the fact that the state has violated the victims' human rights and has yet to compensate them all.
Last fall the Committee sent preliminary questions to the Czech Government about its Sixth Periodic Report which the Czech delegation answered in Geneva in February. "In its answers to the preliminary questions, the Government argues against establishing a special compensation mechanism by citing potential complications with evidence, especially evidence for older cases, but such complications with evidence are precisely why the Government should proactively compensate these persons through a separate procedure," Gwendolyn Albert, who has long been aiding the victims of illegal sterilizations, told news server Romea.cz. Albert says such issues were one reason the Public Defender of Rights recommended establishing such a special compensation mechanism in 2005.
"The Government also argues that the Czech Supreme Court has been able to suspend the statute of limitations in two cases and awarded compensation to unlawfully sterilized persons, but it does not explain that those were more recent, post-1990 cases where the evidentiary situation was comparatively strong. If anyone who was forcibly and unlawfully sterilized before 1990 has ever successfully sued, then that fact is not generally known. There is no guarantee that the courts will deliver justice in other cases of this kind, and the Government should take particular responsibility to compensate these persons, as their unlawful sterilizations are a result of Government policy before 1990 and a result of Government failure to explain its policy changes after 1990," Albert said.


text:
Mexicanist
Mexico at a glance
before Costalegre
Cihuatlán
beyond Costalegre
types of sports bets
Is the Mexican blue dragon species in danger of extinction?
The blue dragon inhabits Puebla and Veracruz, feeds on small insects and becomes turquoise in its natural habitat, although most of the specimens are green. It is a beautiful specimen of the scaly-bodied lizards of the subgenus Abronia, which means that it lives in the forests.
A photograph of a copy published in the Reddit forum, for Internet users to pay attention to a problem that puts the existence of this species at risk. The original publication, which in just one day reached more than 127 thousand visits and received more than 1,300 comments, recalled that the blue dragon is one of the most endangered Mexican species.
Due to the striking color of its scales, this species of arboreal lizard is very sought after as a pet, so there is a whole black market dedicated to plucking specimens from their natural habitat to sell them to the highest bidder. The dragon in green color is relatively common in its natural habitat, but it is the blue specimens that are most sought after by reptile collectors.
However, this coloration is not permanent if the animal is captured, since its brightness and bright colors are obtained from its feeding. The blue dragonets in captivity become opaque.
Agencies such as the Federal Office of Environmental Protection (Profepa), have been seizing for years for specimens that are destined for other countries in America and even Europe, where they sell up to 300 euros each.
In addition, there are people who kill these reptiles because they believe that their bright colors are a sign that they carry a very dangerous poison, when in reality, this species poses no threat to humans.
In March 2007, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, added this species to its red list of threatened species, so the authorities have redoubled efforts in order to prevent this Mexican reptile is marketed or attacked.
It is estimated that between 2005 and 2017, 97 specimens have been secured, but the number of blue dragonlets that have managed to sell is unknown. To avoid that this species disappears forever, it is recommended not to acquire these reptiles and always keep them in their natural habitat, where their population could multiply again if it is cared for.


text:
The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til
by B. A. Bosserman and K. Scott Oliphint
The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox grapples with the question of how one may hold together the ideals of systematic theology, apologetic proof, and theological paradox by building on the insights of Cornelius Van Til. Van Til developed an apologetic where one presupposes that the triune God exists, and then proves this Christian presupposition by demonstrating that philosophies that deny it are self-defeating in the specific sense that they rely on principles that only the Trinity, as the ultimate harmony of unity and diversity, can furnish. A question raised by Van Til's trademark procedure is how he can evade the charge that the apparent contradictions of the Christian faith render it equally self-defeating as non-Christian alternatives. This text argues that for Van Til, Christian paradoxes can be differentiated from genuine contradictions by the way that their apparently opposing elements discernibly require one another, even as they present our minds with an irresolvable conflict. And yet, Van Til failed to sufficiently vindicate the central Christian paradox--the doctrine of the Trinity--along the lines required by his system. Hence, the present text offers a unique proof that God can only exist as the pinnacle of unity-in-diversity, and as the ground of a coherent Christian system, if He exists as three, and only three, divine Persons.
Publisher: Pickwick PublicationsReleased: Sep 22, 2014ISBN: 9781630874964Format: book
354. Last Lines by Emily Bronte: E Bronte read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/ Giving voice to the...
Guidance from God the Father: Todd Peters, Prince William Campus Pastor - Once we understand God's majesty, the logical conclusion is to approach Him with humility, to be contrite in spirit and to tremble at His Word.
The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Working with Attachments and Addictions: The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Working with Attachments and Addictions - In Buddhist cosmology the torment of intense desire that can never really be satisfied is depicted as the realm of Hungry Ghosts. This talk explores the attachments and addictions...
Goodness: Spirituality That Heals
God's Call to Genuine Repentance - Part 2: July 3, 2019
Episode 12: Increasing Self-Respect: "Those who harbor the wish to harm others are no followers of mine" --Buddha. In this episode JoAnn Fox teaches about the virtuous mental factor "sense of shame", also sometimes translated as "self-respect.To practice this virtuous mind is...
513. Lullaby by William Blake: W Blake read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/ Giving voice to the ...
#188 – A Great Multitude from Every Nation (Revelation 7:9–10): One day a great multitude from every nation will give praise to God and to the Lamb for their salvation.
An Appropriate Place for Meditation: An Appropriate Place for Meditation
Understanding Anatta ('No Self'): In today's FBA Podcast we hear more vintage Sangharakshita in Understanding Anatta ('No Self'). Everything we know about the self is in constant change and flux. You cannot understand what is meant by anatta until you know this truth.
Eternity: The Two Judgments: To be prepared for eternity, every believer needs clarity about the two judgments after we die. Brad Cooper explains that God judges whether someone has put their faith in Jesus — and then Jesus j…
HoP 241 - The Shadow Knows - Albert the Great's Metaphysics: Albert the Great's theory of being and his attempt to explain what changes in the human mind when we come to see God in the afterlife.
Encountering the Ancestors: Pai Chang (part 2 of 3): Jay Rinsen Weik leads a retreat workshop at the Toledo Zen Center on November 16, 2008."In the teaching hall, the master said, 'The spiritual light shines alone, far transcending the senses and their fields. The essential substance is exposed,...
THE MISSING KEY TO THE LAW OF ATTRACTION!!! Tosha Silver: Tosha Silver on How to Attract Divine Abundance Into Your Life By Giving It Away to the Divine - Not Your Typical Law of Attraction, The Secret, or Manifestation Show!!!
Dr Ambedkar and His Importance For the Future of Buddhism: Our FBA Podcast this week is by Vajratara entitled Dr Ambedkar and His Importance For the Future of Buddhism. - Vajratara argues that Dr Ambedkar is not just relevant for India or for the oppressed, but essential for modern Buddhism all over the world,
BVOV - Dec2216 - Win Every Time by Using Your Faith: Believers Voice of Victory Video Broadcast for Thursday 12/22/2016 Learn how you can be led by God's WORD and the Spirit of the living God to win every battle you're facing!
Class 39 - Tree of Love: Topics include: The Tree of love.
The Taste of the Spirit
Breaking the Bonds of Selfhood Through Serving the Dhamma (with translation in Hindi): This week's FBA Podcast, "Breaking the Bonds of Selfhood Through Serving the Dhamma (with translation in Hindi)" by Parami. Here is a strong, beautiful talk by Parami from the final day of the Triratna Buddhist Order's International Convention 2013 in ...
4. Arguments for the Existence of God - The Ontological and Cosmological Arguments: Fourth lecture in the Philosophy of Religion lecture series.
What Can We Be Sure Of?: Today's FBA Dharmabyte, "What Can We Be Sure Of?" is a taste of Jnanavaca's fabulous take on Einstein, Schroedinger, and all that stuff you wished you understood about quantum physics but despaired of ever knowing so as to impress at parties... Well,
Peace and Tranquillity – Upeksha: Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Peace and Tranquillity - Upeksha from the 1968 talk, Reason and Emotion in the Spiritual Life: Right Resolve by Sangharakshita. - We all need to find emotional equivalents to our intellectual understandings if our s...
Episode 25 - Sin: There are many different ideas about sin in our culture today. Some believe sin is a failure to follow God's law, while others believe its an harmful anachronism. For this episode of The Liturgists Podcast, Michael Gungor, Lissa Paino, and Science Mike t...
A Thirsty Woman, Celebs, & Soul Care
Buddha, Brain, and Karma: Meditating with the wind element: Episode 15: After we settle into our seat with the earth element, Anne guides this meditation on wind, which is connected with our own capacity for getting things done. We reflect on what it feels like to act from a balanced wind element as well as o...
Eastern Philosophy 3, the Ten Fetters: Entering the Stream, Once Returner, Arahant
Talk by Roshi "Spiritual Authority": March 7, 2019 Enkyo Roshi offers a teaching about teaching, how the best use of spiritual authority is to help us live from our own truth. Case 23 from the Mumonkan, "Think Neither Good Nor Evil," illumines the nature of transmission.
Making Room for God - Part 2: Audio podcasts
The History of and Value in Team-Based Right Livelihood: In this week's FBA Podcast, Subhuti gives a very comprehensive introduction to one of the Six Emphases of the Triratna Buddhist Community with "The History of and Value in Team-Based Right Livelihood". - Subhuti gives a rousing talk on some of the his...
Season 2// Episode 15/ Paradise: It's been my passion over the years to process and articulate the truth claims of these two worlds of psychology and faith. What can they both agree on? We are after a paradise
The Christian's Desire to See God Face to Face
Dr. C. Matthew McMahon
Reformation Theology: A Systematic Summary
The Majesty of Mystery: Celebrating the Glory of an Incomprehensible God
K. Scott Oliphint
Chance and the Sovereignty of God: A God-Centered Approach to Probability and Random Events
The Glory Of Christ
John Owen
One God in Three Persons: Unity of Essence, Distinction of Persons, Implications for Life
Kyle Claunch
Inerrancy and the Gospels: A God-Centered Approach to the Challenges of Harmonization
Jonathan Edwards on the Good Life
Owen Strachan
Redeeming Sociology: A God-Centered Approach
The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, in All of Life, with All of Our Heart
The Essential Jonathan Edwards: An Introduction to the Life and Teaching of America's Greatest Theologian
Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith
J. V. Fesko
Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity
Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought
What is Darwinism?
Charles Hodge
Reading the Word of God in the Presence of God: A Handbook for Biblical Interpretation
The The Gospel & Racial Reconciliation
Russell D. Moore
The Kuyper Center Review, Volume 2: Revelation and Common Grace
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith
Reformed Dogmatics : Volume 2: God and Creation
Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions
Common Grace (Volume 1): God's Gifts for a Fallen World
Reformed Dogmatics : Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation
Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell
Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible
Reformed Dogmatics : Volume 1: Prolegomena
Soul Mates: A Poem by Brandon Shimoda
In Search Of New Ethos
What Should the Girl Scouts Stand For?
The 'Secret Public'
'How Do I Tell My Kids I Don't Want Them to Go Away For Camp?'
The Millions Top Ten: December 2018
We spend plenty of time here on The Millions telling all of you what we've been reading, but we are also quite interested in hearing about what you've been reading. By looking at our Amazon stats, we can see what books Millions readers have been buyi
How We Did It
The Search for Truth
There is not a single thing that man could really create without taking it from that which has already come into existence through the Will of God! He would be unable to create anew a single grain of sand without finding all the material for it alrea
Single-eyed Vision
"What is seen with one eye has no depth." I'm thinking, as I ponder the wisdom of Ursula LeGuin, that American culture is at the end of what it can accomplish with its single-eyed vision. For all our material progress, for all our ability to dominate
Hitting Refresh
For more than two decades, Fast Company has chronicled innovators, risk-takers, and companies that embrace change. This month, we're following their example by unveiling a reinvigorated look, lively new content, and some unexpected stories—all aimed
Rejected By Your Dream College? Spoiler: There Are Other Paths To Success And Happiness.
Rejected By Your Dream College? Spoiler
Anna Auerbach
If you want to know who's fixing the workplace for ambitious women, look no further than Anna Auerbach of Werk Enterprises Inc. The company, which she co-founded in February 2016, seeks to reinvent the workday by helping businesses create executive-t
Just How 'Open' Are Open Office Plans?
Leaderspeak
The World After The War America Confronts The British Super Power, 1945–1957
Winter Book Reviews
by Mark Laurie. by Kevin Powers Published by Sceptre ISBN 9781473667785 $29.99 Fresh from his award-winning debut with The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers continues to explore humans at war and how they endure its aftermath – this time in civil war Virgin
3 Tech Tropes We're Trying To Learn To Love
Always about to be big, 3D printing is still pretty fiddly, but now quite feasible for plastic objects up to shoebox size with fused filament machines costing just a few hundred dollars. Some proponents, including HP, now see neighborhood print shops
Sparring Candidates Duet In Music While They Duel For Votes
I Saw My Novel's Protagonist Walking Across the Street
Support Global Voices today!
Joseph O'Neill Finds the Act of Writing… Nauseating?
How's Your Plant Life Balance?
Julie Steffen-Layda, JLL
Losing Their Religion
State education minister C. Raveendranath has got himself into a pickle with his statement in the Kerala assembly that 123,630 students enrolled in government and 'aided' schools had chosen not to mention their religion or caste. Predictably, the num
Liz'S LETTER
In An Age Of Extremes, Most People Are Really Pretty Moderate
No/94 Frame Of Mind
Wait, How Did You Get Into College?
The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox - B. A. Bosserman
The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox
An Interpretation and Refinement of the Theological Apologetic of Cornelius Van Til
B. A. Bosserman
Foreword by K. Scott Oliphint
Copyright © 2014 B. A. Bosserman. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
Pickwick Publications
An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3
www.wipfandstock.com
ISBN 13: 978-1-62564-128-1
EISBN 13: 978-1-63087-496-4
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Bosserman, B. A.
The Trinity and the vindication of Christian paradox : an interpretation and refinement of the theological apologetic of Cornelius Van Til / B. A. Bosserman, with a foreword by K. Scott Oliphint
xxiv + 268 p. ; 23 cm. Includes bibliographical references.
1. Van Til, Cornelius, 1895–1987. 2. Apologetics. 3. Trinity. 4. Christianity—Philosophy. I. Oliphint, K. Scott. II. Title.
BX9225.V37 B788 2014
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
Scripture Quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1997 by the Lockman Foundation
To Thomas George Bossserman
Who taught me to love the biblical Scriptures
The Triune God from whom they came
And to whom they bear witness
As one who has labored for decades to understand, articulate, and re-articulate Cornelius Van Til's Reformed approach to the discipline of apologetics, I have normally been aware of other scholars in the field whose concerns have been coincident with mine. One day, I received an email from Brant Bosserman, with his doctoral dissertation attached, from which this work is taken. I had never heard of Dr. Bosserman, so my instinct was to do (unfortunately) what I do with virtually all emails of this nature—consign it to the digital trash bin. I rarely have time to read what is required of me, much less what comes to me out of the blue. But, since this work was focused on Van Til's thought, I decided that I should at least skim it.
My attempt to skim Dr. Bosserman's dissertation turned to serious and concentrated reading. I read every page, some more than once. By the time I had finished this work, I recognized that Dr. Bosserman had successfully focused his energies on a topic that is not only central to the Christian faith, but that is central to all of Van Til's thought. I set this work aside and thought, Why hasn't this been done before?
There are a number of responses to that question. One response would be that, though Van Til's apologetic method has its genesis in an affirmation of the ontological Trinity, many of the criticisms of Van Til's thought have, historically, focused on other things. For example, there has been, and continues to be, serious misunderstandings about what, exactly, Van Til means by the notion of presupposition. There have been those who have seen Van Til's rejection of the standard formulations of the theistic proofs as a concession to fideism. There have been, in other words, pressing matters of clarity that needed, and still need, to be addressed. Whatever the reasons, however, the topic that is given its due herein is not by any means tangential to Van Til's thinking; it is the warp and woof of everything that he believed, taught and wrote.
Without question, the most radical, revolutionary, requisite and Reformed aspect of the apologetic set forth by Van Til was his insistence that one's defense of Christianity must begin with the ontological Trinity. No apologist prior to him had argued such a thing, in part because it meant that the discipline of apologetics must self-consciously begin with Scripture. So, says Van Til:
[A] consistently Christian method of apologetic argument, in agreement with its own basic conception of the starting point, must be by presupposition. To argue by presupposition is to indicate what are the epistemological and metaphysical principles that underlie and control one's method. The Reformed apologist will frankly admit that his own methodology presupposes the truth of Christian theism. Basic to all the doctrines of Christian theism is that of the self-contained God, or, if we wish, that of the ontological trinity. It is this notion of the ontological trinity that ultimately controls a truly Christian methodology. Based upon this notion of the ontological trinity and consistent with it, is the concept of the counsel of God according to which all things in the created world are regulated.¹
Everything that Van Til wrote and taught has its center in the distinctly Christian, biblical truth of God's Triunity. The fact that God is One in Three must take its rightful place in the theology of any Christian, and especially any Reformed Christian. Not only so, but as goes one's theology, so ought to go one's apologetic; a Trinitarian theology demands a Trinitarian apologetic as well.
But, in spite of Van Til's consistent emphasis throughout his career and his writings, the fact of God's Triunity has not yet ascended to its rightful place, especially in the area of a Christian defense of the faith, and the theology that must undergird that defense. Generally speaking, when mention is made of Van Til's emphasis on the Trinity, the discussion usually turns to the philosophical problem of the one and the many. Aside from that, little is said, and even less is elaborated.
One can peruse the books and writings of authors who follow in Van Til's line (including mine!) and there will not be a primary and focused articulation of the Trinity, and the implications of that doctrine, in virtually any of them. There is honorable mention made in most works, and some have wanted to move from that doctrine to possible implications, but none of us has, in my opinion, drawn out the deep and rich entailments that a rich, robust, Reformed doctrine of the Trinity requires for the way that we think about the world, about our theology, and about apologetics. This is not as it should be.
We owe Dr. Bosserman a debt of deep gratitude for mounting the difficulties of Van Til's Trinitarian thought, grabbing the reins, spurring it in the side, and moving it forward, as he guides us through the trail of the rich and radical contours that have otherwise been lying pent up and dormant, virtually hidden from view.
With the pathway now clearer because of Dr. Bosserman's work, those of us who seek to follow in Van Til's line can better recognize its direction, as well as its boundaries. There will be more brush to clear along the way; a work of this depth and breadth is bound to have a few briars and brambles still remaining in the path. But the Trinitarian trail, mapped out by Van Til, has now been extensively trod. Its end has not been reached, and we may want to sidestep it in places in order to mark off a better side-path, but wisdom points to the trail Dr. Bosserman has blazed as the best place to begin.
Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology,
Westminster Theological Seminary
1. DF4, 121–22.
This is based on a thesis originally submitted to the University of Bangor for the award of Doctor of Philosophy in 2011. Many individuals are deserving of thanks for aiding me to complete that initial project. I wish to thank first of all Dr. Keith Warrington, and especially Professor Julian Ward for their invaluable critique, guidance, and encouragement in the production of the present manuscript. I also thank my father and mother, Tom and Marilyn Bosserman, and sister and brother in-law, Noelle and Jon Baylor for their regular prayer, support, and interest in this project; my brother Dustin Bosserman for thoroughly editing this thesis and engaging its main ideas, despite his fundamental disagreement with Christian theism; and the many theologians who have contributed to Van Til scholarship—James N. Anderson, John M. Frame, K. Scott Oliphint, Vern S. Poythress, Ralph Allan Smith, and Lane G. Tipton—whose influence, although from a distance in the initial production of my thesis, is thoroughly reflected in this manuscript. A special thanks to K. Scott Oliphint, James Anderson, Ralph Alan Smith, and my examiner Daniel J. Hill for their willingness to read my manuscript, and to offer insights as to how I might modify and/or better develop my main arguments. Second only to the Lord Himself, the author is thankful to his children Nicea, Chalcedon, and Augustine, and most of all to his wife Heather Bosserman for the many sacrifices that they have made on account of this project, and their unceasing faith that the Lord would bring it to completion.
Christian thinkers throughout the ages have felt the burden to guard and develop what often seem to be three competing ideals—the systematic harmony of Christian doctrine (Luke 24:44), the novelty of certain paradoxical doctrines (John 6:52–60), and the possibility of a robust Christian apologetic (Acts 17:31). All too often, however, brilliant theologians have hardily embraced two out of the three above-mentioned aims, only to be frustrated by the third. For example, those who have proven to be capable defenders and organizers of Christian theology have at times betrayed embarrassment about apparently contradictory doctrines such as the Trinity, the dual nature of Christ, the compatibility of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, etc. Among those who resist the temptation of heretical resolutions to such paradoxes, a common strategy is to settle with an unhappy compromise between an apologetic where the distinctive Christian doctrines play no significant role, and a class of supernatural mysteries that admit for no rational proof. Other theologians have reveled in the mysterious truths of Christianity and set them up as the centerpieces of the Christian system, but flatly disparaged the responsibility to produce a compelling defense of Christianity. And still a third group has taken advantage of theological paradoxes as apologetic tools that possess an inherent capacity to illuminate the absurdity of the human situation, but only so long as we resist the temptation to capture their essential significance as parts of a static system.
Against the backdrop of the historical tension between theological system, paradox, and apologetics, Dr. Cornelius Van Til stands out as anomalous, if only for the harmony between the three ideals that he aspired to engender. Although he spent the bulk of his career occupying the chair of apologetics at Westminster seminary, Van Til's students have long recognized his profundity as a theologian and Christian philosopher. A military general devotes himself to assessing the strategic advantages of his own position and the weaknesses of his opponent's. Likewise, Van Til was preoccupied both with the nature of the Reformed theological system, and the details of secular philosophies. Van Til's novel conclusion was that certain theological paradoxes, such as the doctrine of the ontological Trinity are essential to the coherence of Christian theology, and to the potency and validity of a Christian apologetic. His proposed Copernican shift involved the claim that genuine knowledge must revolve around the Triune God—the ideal of unity in difference—and His revelation concerning the proper aims and boundaries of human comprehension. To be specific, Van Til held that nothing about reality can be known truly, except as it is understood as an expression of God's eternal plan for the cosmos, and unless it is appreciated as accessible to the human mind through the mediation of the Triune God, the very archetype of harmony in difference. The proof for this Christian position turns on the impossibility of its pagan and secular alternatives, which cannot scale the enduring one-many problem of philosophy. So long as the unbeliever carries on as if his principles are able to govern facts; as if his intellect makes contact with reality; as if there is a proper and productive order for society, etc., he betrays his dependence on the Triune God. For, the history of philosophy has only confirmed man's² incapacity to transcend himself, and directly confirm that reality is marked by (much less headed for more profound degrees of) the sort of harmony that is generally conducive to human life and reasoning. Only the God Who embodies perfect unity and difference in Himself, and exhaustively sustains the creation as His analogue can authoritatively instill, and further, justify human confidence about such matters. Although the Trinity is unmistakably paradoxical, renewed acquaintance with Him through the saving work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the precondition of knowledge. Counterintuitive as it may be, genuine coherence in theology (and every realm of inquiry), a valid and compelling apologetic, and honor for Christian paradox can only be upheld if the three are allowed to qualify and interpenetrate one another.
If nothing else Van Til's vigorous claims have caught the attention of other Christian thinkers. And yet, Van Til's ambiguities, sparsely developed inferences, and wandering writing style have led many readers to applaud his spirit but to reject his more ostentatious claims. Still others simply deride his project as basically confused. Arguably, the basic difficulty with Van Til's theological-apologetic is that the alleged harmony between systematic knowledge, apologetics, and paradox appears to devolve into a procedure of: (a) relying on the laws of logic when convenient (in apologetic critiques); (b) setting logic aside when inconvenient (with respect to Christian paradox); (c) somehow using the doctrine of the Trinity as a license, and the biblical Scriptures as a guide for when to carry out (a) or (b); and then (d) designating (a), (b), and (c) a systematic method. Supposing that such a representation were accurate, Van Til's systematic reasoning would be nothing more than a haphazard procedure that fails to foster, and even militates against any sort of logical coherence. It would not at all be clear how or why the Christian apologist's demand for logical consistency from his opponents, alongside his own insistence on the right to appeal to mystery could not be mimicked by advocates of any worldview. And, far from honoring the profundity of the doctrine of the Trinity and safeguarding Christian paradox, it would make the Trinity into a ground for breaking Christ's command to treat others as we would hope to be treated (Matt 7:12).
Given not only how widespread, but also how grave the above interpretation of Van Til happens to be, the present author aims to inject clarity into the situation by identifying Van Til's genuine triumphs and his relative failures, and then offering a rectification of the latter. In order to accomplish these ends the argument passes through four stages. The first part begins with a thoroughgoing examination of the three schools of thought which were the most influential on Van Til, namely Old Princeton Seminary (ch. 1), Old Amsterdam Seminary (ch. 2), and absolute idealist philosophy (ch. 3). Identification of the guiding presuppositions and collective aims of each school, as well as an explanation of their theological and philosophical terminology is essential to developing an accurate understanding of Van Til's position. Even more pertinent is an understanding of how Van Til believed he was able to preserve the great theological and philosophical insights of his forbearers, while overcoming their latent tendencies toward rationalism and irrationalism. Thus, even at the stage of historical analysis, it is necessary to register Van Til's main critiques of each school.
The second part contains a systematic statement of Van Til's Trinitarian apologetic (ch. 4), epistemology (ch. 5 and 6), and theology (ch. 7). The chief insight offered by Van Til pertains to how the doctrine of the Trinity supplies a personalist solution to the ever-reoccurring one-many problem of philosophy. Properly speaking, the one-many problem pertains to how universals may overlap with historical particulars. But, in its broadest import, the one-many problem lies at the base of questions concerning how subjects may intelligibly relate to objects; governments and citizens may live together harmoniously; ethical norms may be relevant to diverse situations; etc. The Trinity solves the problem, not as a theoretical explanation for how universal principles and ideas control matters of fact, but as a personal Authority Who is a perfect harmony of unity and diversity in Himself, and thus uniquely qualified to guide man in developing an analogous harmony in his own life and thought. Apologetically, the Trinitarian perspective carries with it an illuminating diagnosis of sinful thinking as the self-defeating attempt to treat principles found in creation, rather than the Creator, as the ultimate sources of unity and/or diversity in reality. In terms of systematic theology, the doctrine of the Trinity proves to foster the sort of coherence between Christian doctrines after which unbelievers may only grope. And epistemologically, a Trinitarian theology implies a theory of knowledge where a given human perspective is true only if it reflects the mind of God, and justified only if that man's mind has been reoriented to God through the saving work and revelation of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The genius of Van Til's position consists in the fact that the epistemology derived from the Triune God and His Word, requires a uniquely Christian interpretation of the laws of logic that renders Christian paradoxes true, and exposes non-Christian perspectives as genuine contradictions. Those who accept the biblical distinction between two fundamentally different sorts of beings—the Creator and his creation—ought to be keen to the fact that the laws of identity and contradiction do not apply to everything in the same fashion, such that all things are self-identical, and incompatible with certain other things, in the same way. The only course for determining, for example, whether perfect deity and perfect humanity may exist together in the single person of Christ is by discerning whether such a doctrine is possible or necessary within the boundaries of a concrete, systematic worldview. To be specific, Christian paradoxes are vindicated as true by virtue of the fact that (a) their supposedly conflicting elements or poles imply one another in a discernible fashion when set in the light of the Christian system; and (b) the paradox, in return, enhances the internal coherence of the Christian system. Nevertheless, these doctrines rightfully retain the epithet paradox because they never cease to challenge our day-to-day applications of certain concepts, and squarely conflict with the (widely accepted) logic that would exalt our mundane notions of identify and contradiction as standards by which we may judge God. Finally, all opposition to the Christian system and its mode of reasoning may be rejected as resting on a genuine self-contradiction, namely, that of attempting to level rational arguments against the Creator when one's godless (Trinity-less) presuppositions undermine the very possibility of rational discourse.
Having provisionally vindicated the heart of Van Til's system we return, in the third part, to the negative caricature of his position in order to discover its source, and in order to identify the extent of its validity (ch. 8). We validate the charge not only that Van Til's better insights are obscured by his failure to develop their implications in a focused manner, but that the same oversights have actually had an adverse effect on the feasibility of his fundamental claims. Chiefly, Van Til fails to employ his own logic of implication to the extent of proving that the oneness and threeness, as opposed to mere many-ness of God mutually imply one another, and are equally indispensable to the harmony of created reality. As a result, an arbitrary element appears to infiltrate the heart of the Christian system in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish it from the irrationalism of those secular systems of thought that Van Til critiques so relentlessly. Furthermore, despite the brilliant developments supplied by several schools of thought that were inspired by, or preoccupied with similar concerns as Van Til, each one falls short of clarifying and expounding his concept of a Christian logic of implication, much less drawing out the import of a specifically Trinitarian worldview.
Finally, in the fourth part the present author offers his own positive exposition of the Christian system according to a refined application of Van Til's method of implication. A detailed application of this method brings to light the manner in which (a) the poles of Christian paradoxes logically imply one another, and the Christian system as a whole; (b) non-Christian paradoxes and systems of thought represent genuinely self-defeating contradictions; and (c) how the above-mentioned procedure is the exclusive property of Trinitarian Christianity. The Trinity is the first among the Christian paradoxes that are vindicated in the manner described (ch. 9). The argument turns on the scriptural-covenantal observation that God's self-definition need not only exist through personal distinctions (so that God is multi-personal), but that every personal distinction in the Godhead must be facilitated by, and appear within the overarching context of a third, and only a third person. For, if the number of divine persons were decreased to two, then the relationship between those two persons would have to appear within an impersonalist void, since there is no third, divine and personal context to be found. If the number of divine persons were multiplied beyond three, then the relationship between any two divine persons would have to be facilitated by an additional group of divine persons (which is not, properly speaking, a person ). Each individual person of the Trinity would fail to comprehend the entire divine life in and by Himself, and that which comprehended the whole of the Godhead and his self-relationship would not be a person, but an impersonal dynamic. Hence, in the Christian system, where God is a personal Absolute, it can be concluded that the oneness and threeness of God mutually necessitate one another. Utilizing a similar methodology, the apparently conflicting poles of eight additional paradoxes of the Reformed faith are proven to imply one another, and once combined, to form a coherent system together. These paradoxes include, (1) the order and equality of divine persons; (2) the simplicity and multiplicity of the divine attributes; (3) divine immutability and temporal creation; (4) the finitude and complexity of creation; (5) the analogical and objective character of human knowledge; (6) the sovereignty of God and the freedom of man; (7) the original goodness of man and his capacity for sin; and (8) the sinlessness and genuine humanity of Jesus Christ (ch. 10–12). Finally, the argument supports the Van Tillian emphases that have been cultivated by the schools of thought described in Part III.
At the conclusion of our study we obtain a robust Trinitarian worldview the likes of which has seldom been seen. Apologists throughout the ages have offered proofs for the existence of God. A few among them have aimed at proving that God must be Triune. An even smaller group of Van Tillian presuppositionalists have argued that a personal God, who is fundamentally one and many, is the precondition of all rational discourse, and the primary object of a transcendental proof. But, the present volume is unique in its aim to demonstrate that only the specifically tri-personal God, who has reconciled men to himself in the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, can be regarded as the transcendental condition of intelligible existence. Indeed, the development of a coherent theology, of a definitive apologetic, and of a logic that consistently embraces theological paradox and excludes contradictions is proven to hinge on acknowledging the Triune God from the outset, and allowing Him to set all things in their proper light.
2. In agreement with a handful of contemporary Christian and secular philosophers, the present author is convinced that when referring to persons without regard for their sex, it is preferable to use masculine nouns and pronouns rather than feminine nouns and pronouns, or both together. Cf. Bonjour and Sosa, Epistemic Justification, 11 n. 5; Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, xvi–xvii.
C67 The Confession of 1967: Its Theological Background and Ecumenical Significance
CA Christian Apologetics
CB Christianity and Barthianism
CFC The Case for Calvinism
CG Common Grace and the Gospel
CC Christianity in Conflict
CI Christianity and Idealism
CIM Christianity in Modern Theology
CJ Christ and the Jews
CTE Christian Theistic Ethics (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 3)
CTEV Christian Theistic Evidences (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 6)
CTK A Christian Theory of Knowledge
DF3 The Defense of the Faith, 3rd ed.
DF4 The Defense of the Faith, 4th ed.
FCE Foundations of Christian Education: An Address to Christian Teachers
GD The Great Debate Today
GH The God of Hope: Sermons and Addresses
IST An Introduction to Systematic Theology (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 5)
JA Jerusalem and Athens
NH The New Hermeneutic
NM The New Modernism
PA Paul at Athens
PDS The Protestant Doctrine of Scripture (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 1)
PR Psychology of Religion (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 4)
RP The Reformed Pastor and Modern Thought
SCE A Survey of Christian Epistemology (In Defense of the Faith, Vol. 2)
SG Sovereignty of Grace: An Appraisal of G. C. Berkouwer's View of Dordt
TJD The Theology of James Daane
WI Why I Believe in God
WCV The Works of Cornelius Van Til (CD-Rom, version 1.0)
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
The Origins of Van Til's Theological Apologetic
In itself, the task of identifying those schools of thought which inspired Cornelius Van Til's apologetic system is hardly a difficult or even a novel endeavor. Several Van Til students and expositors have made such identifications,¹ and their accounts differ hardly at all from the one Van Til himself gave on multiple occasions. As it stands, there is no doubt that Van Til was indebted to (1) Old Princeton Seminary and to (2) the Free University of Amsterdam for shaping and solidifying his Reformed theological commitments.² And, many of his epistemological insights were positively or negatively inspired by (3) absolute and personal idealist philosophers.³ When boiled down to their lowest common denominators a most unusual combination appears, with Calvin as the most significant theological influence, and Hegel as the underlying philosophical influence on Van Til.
Accompanying the well-established account of the origins of Van Til's position, is the regular interpretation of Van Til's own project as an attempt to reform Christian apologetics, by combining and morphing certain theological, epistemological, and apologetic insights taken from each of the above-mentioned schools. First, Old Princeton stood upon Calvin's doctrines of natural revelation and man's innate sense of deity, as they constructed a robust apologetic for the Christian Faith. Second, Amsterdam, on the other hand, emphasized Calvin's doctrine of total depravity, and developed the view that unregenerate reasoning must be antithetical to Christian thinking at virtually every point, with the result that it is largely futile to attempt to develop a Christian apologetic. And third, British-American idealism championed the Hegelian doctrine that a single all-encompassing system, dubbed the Absolute is the precondition for all rational discourse. On their view, even those philosophers who doubt, deny, or fall short of a vision of the Absolute, can be proven to unwittingly rely upon it. In this way, opposing philosophies are disproven by way of a transcendental ⁴ argument to the effect that they presuppose the sort of all-encompassing rational system which they claim to deny. When all three basic convictions are combined and allowed to qualify one another, they form an apologetic that is uniquely consistent with the essence of Reformed theology. The Christian apologist must presuppose the truth of the Reformed theological system solely on the authority of the Triune God. He must reject any positive demonstration that might appeal to illusive neutral premises shared by believers and unbelievers alike. And yet, the apologist may escape the pitfalls of fideism by demonstrating that non-Christians must, in the development and articulation of their views unwittingly presuppose many things (the reliability of his senses, the possibility of predication, etc.) which only the Triune God of Scripture can account for. Hence, the Christian system of truth can be established by way of an indirect proof along the lines developed by absolute idealists.
Given the above-mentioned consensus, a fresh inquiry into the origins and implications of Van Til's theological-apologetic system may appear superfluous. However, the general accuracy of the established account does not negate the fact that it often overlooks one of the most interesting and complicated features of Van Til's project. For, in addition to identifying an apologetic method that is worthy of the Christian system of truth, Van Til was equally committed to developing a position that thrived on the distinctive paradoxes of the Christian Faith. Hence, a thorough analysis of Van Til's appropriation of Princeton, Amsterdam, and absolute idealist philosophy must take into account not only their beliefs about Christian theology and apologetics, but also their distinctive beliefs about paradox. As it stands, even a meager acquaintance with the three schools in view shows that paradox figures quite centrally. As thoroughly orthodox bastions of Reformed theology, Princeton and Amsterdam were zealous to defend theological mysteries such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, the compatibility of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, etc. And if Hegel's philosophy is commonly known for anything, it is for its highly paradoxical inferences, and mysterious doctrine of the absolute. However, what critics have questioned in their own way is whether any one of these three schools succeeded in developing a coherent combination of system, apologetics, and paradox.
It is the present author's contention that the genius of Van Til's project can best be understood as an attempt to overcome the conflict between apologetics, system, and paradox in the three above-mentioned schools by qualifying their chief doctrines with insights taken from the other two. Hence, the argument below is marked by three fivefold investigations of each school's system of thought, apologetic method, and notion of paradox, as well as Van Til's positive appropriation, and negative critique of each. Surely the prima facie enigma of Van Til's positive project is how he could hope to render the ideals of theological system and rational proof consistent with paradoxes that are by definition apparently contradictory, and inconsistent in themselves. Given, however, that Part I must focus on how Van Til took issue in various ways with each school, it contains a greater discussion of his critiques than of his positive insights. In fact, the reader will find a running, and relatively chronological critique of Western philosophy that extends through Van Til's negative assessment of each school. And yet, statements of Van Til's positive system are unavoidable since his transcendental critiques of unbelieving and less consistently Christian systems presuppose the Christian system in a more pure form.
Although this anticipatory summary simplifies matters somewhat, the critiques yet to be leveled against each individual school can be divided into two different sorts: those which turn on the school's own inconsistency; and those which are inspired by the other two camps (see fig. 1). Princeton for example is inconsistent for (1) embracing God's status as the sovereign governor of history, but denying that he is necessarily the governing premise of healthy reasoning. If they had ingested Amsterdam's insight that (2) a non-Christian use of logic must undermine Christian paradox, and the absolute idealist demonstration that (3) common sense shrouds the truth, they would have been well on their way to understanding that a sovereign Trinity must also be the presupposition of all rational discourse. Amsterdam on the other hand correctly holds to an antithesis between Christian and non-Christian thought, but (5) inconsistently so. For, it is precisely because Christian thought differs so radically from that of unbelievers that it alone is self-consistent. (Exposition of this sweeping claim must be left for its proper place.⁵) Had they taken seriously Princeton's critique that (4) fideism is characteristic of non-Christian worldviews, and (6) the absolute idealist insight that an absolute Trinity must function as the self-consistent context and ground of every inconsistent belief system, they would have come very close to the sort of theological-apologetic proposed by Van Til. And finally, the absolute idealist school was (9) inconsistently transcendental in their methodology. Although they were able to effectively expose the self-defeating character of prior systems of philosophy, they really had no self-consistent doctrine of the Absolute which they could set forth as the precondition of intelligibility. Had the absolute idealists begun their labors with (8) an orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, and had they (7)