Why Bertrand Russell Was Not A Christian
by Rev. Ralph Allan Smith
(1996)
Preface
Bertrand Russell was probably the most sophisticated and eloquent spokesman
for atheism in this century. No one can doubt his credentials as a philosopher.
Nor can anyone doubt that a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature had
a talent for communication. The philosophical brilliance and superb communicative
skills evident in his writings guarantee that Russell's influence will
continue for some time to come. That is why I thought it worthwhile to
provide a Christian critique of Russell's essay "Why I Am Not a Christian,"
even though it is based upon a speech given in 1927.
Some time after writing the first draft of this essay, while searching
through my apologetics files, I ran across an article by Greg Bahnsen
that refutes Russell's essay. My revision has been helped by Bahnsen's
article, but even my first draft was largely dependent on Bahnsen's tape
cassette classes on apologetics. Following Van Til, Bahnsen's tape cassette
courses set forth an apologetic approach that aims to prove Christianity
the necessary presupposition for human knowledge. I have attempted in
the following essay to apply that approach. The reader will have to decide
whether or not I have been faithful to Van Til's approach, and whether
or not that approach accomplishes what it claims.
Those interested in Greg Bahnsen's tape cassettes, essays, or books may
contact the Southern California Center For Christian Studies.
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