Greg L. Bahnsen (September 17, 1948 – December 11, 1995) was an influential Christian philosopher, apologist, and debater. He was an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a full time Scholar in Residence for the Southern California Center for Christian Studies. September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Christian apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of Christianity. ... This article is about the sacrament. ... For other types of minister, see Minister In Christian churches, a minister is a man or woman who serves a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such persons can minister as a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain, Deacon or Elder. ... Along with Westminster Theological Seminary, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was founded by conservative Presbyterians who revolted against the modernist theology within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) during the 1930s. ...

Early life and education

He was the first born of two sons of Robert and Virginia Bahnsen in Auburn, Washington, and grew up in Pico Rivera, California. In youth he was beset by a number of medical difficulties, the most serious of which was a lifelong blood platelet problem that made it difficult for him to stanch bleeding. He also had heart trouble — a fact that came to light only during his first college admissions medical exam. Auburn is a city of 40,314 located in the U.S. state of Washington, in King County, with some spill-over into Pierce County. ... Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... A 250 ml bag of newly collected platelets. ...

Raised in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he actively participated in religious activities, never deviating from the faith. He first began reading the apologetics of Cornelius Van Til when in high school, and his absorption of these works influenced his later career. While attending Westmont College he began writing for the Chalcedon Foundation of Rousas J. Rushdoony and soon came to admire the latter's strong Calvinistic convictions. Along with Westminster Theological Seminary, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was founded by conservative Presbyterians who revolted against the modernist theology within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) during the 1930s. ... Cornelius Van Til Cornelius Van Til (May 4, 1895 - April 17, 1987), born in Grootegast, the Netherlands, was a Christian philosopher, Reformed theologian, and presuppositional apologist. ... Westmont College is a Christian liberal arts, residential, and exclusively undergraduate college in Santa Barbara, California. ... The Chalcedon Foundation is the name for the Christian Reconstructionist organization founded by Rousas John Rushdoony. ... Rousas John Rushdoony (1916–2001) was the major intellectual figure of the Christian Reconstructionist theology in the United States. ... Calvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes Gods sovereignty in all things. ...

In 1969 Bahnsen, not showing much discernment, married the emotionally and spiritually unstable Cathie Wade. The two went on to have three sons of their own as well as an adopted Korean daughter, but his wife later left him for another man, David Arnold, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1990.

In 1970 Bahnsen graduated magna cum laude from Westmont College, receiving his B.A. in philosophy as well as the John Bunyan Smith Award for his overall grade point average. From there he went on to Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where he studied under Van Til and the two became close friends. When he graduated in May 1973, he simultaneously received two degrees, Master of Divinity and Master of Theology, as well as the William Benton Greene Prize in apologetics and a Richard Weaver Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. His next academic stop was the University of Southern California (USC), where he studied philosophy, specializing in the theory of knowledge. In 1975, after receiving ordination in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he became an associate professor of Apologetics and Ethics at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. While there, he completed his studies at USC, receiving his Ph.D. in 1978. Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... A grade in education can mean either a teachers evaluation of a students work or a students level of educational progress, usually one grade per year (often denoted by an ordinal number, such as the 3rd Grade or the 12th Grade). This article is about evaluation of... Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution with campuses located in Glenside, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Philadelphia), and Dallas, Texas, and programs of study in New York City, and London. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Cradle of Liberty, the City That Loves You Back, the Quaker City, The Birthplace of America Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government... Master of Divinity is a common degree among theological seminaries and is considered the minimum academic requirement for ordination into pastoral ministry. ... A Masters degree which is typically earned after one has already completed a Master of Divinity or a Master of Theological Studies. ... Richard Weaver may refer to: Richard Weaver, better known as the Handshake Man Richard M. Weaver (U.S. scholar) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly as Southern Cal[4]), located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA, was founded in 1880, making it Californias oldest private research university. ... This article is 58 kilobytes or more in size. ... It has been suggested that Meta-epistemology be merged into this article or section. ... Along with Westminster Theological Seminary, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was founded by conservative Presbyterians who revolted against the modernist theology within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) during the 1930s. ... Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary dedicated to training current and future leaders (especially its Presbyterian and Reformed branches) to be pastors, missionaries, educators, and Christian counselors. ... Nickname: Crossroads of the South, Jacktown Coordinates: Country United States State Mississippi County Hinds Founded 1822  - Mayor Frank Melton Area    - City  106. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ...

Later life

One of the original pillars of Christian Reconstruction, Bahnsen was a leading proponent of theonomy, postmillennialism, and presuppositional apologetics. He lectured to a broad range of evangelical Christian groups at many colleges and conferences, not only throughout the United States but in the British Isles and Russia. He published numerous articles and has over 1700 audio tapes, videos, articles, and books to his name. Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Protestant Christianity. ... Theonomy The word theonomy derives from the Greek words “theos” God, and “nomos” law. ... In Christian eschatology, postmillennialism is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christs second coming as occurring after or post- the thousand year millennium. Although some postmillennialists hold to a literal millennium of 1,000 years, most postmillennialists see the thousand years more as... Presuppositional apologetics is a school of Christian apologetics, a field of Christian theology that aims to (1) present a rational basis for the Christian faith, (2) defend the faith against objections, and (3) expose the perceived flaws of other worldviews. ... Evangelicalism, in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus is the savior. ... Location of the British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands off the north west coast of continental Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. ...

Greg Bahnsen's vocal advocacy of Christian Reconstructionism and theonomy was highly controversial during his lifetime, and a public disputation pertaining to theonomy led to his dismissal from the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary dedicated to training current and future leaders (especially its Presbyterian and Reformed branches) to be pastors, missionaries, educators, and Christian counselors. ... Nickname: Crossroads of the South, Jacktown Coordinates: Country United States State Mississippi County Hinds Founded 1822  - Mayor Frank Melton Area    - City  106. ...

In addition, he was known for his public debates on apologetics, theonomy, religion (such as Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism), and a variety of socio-political issues (such as gun control and homosexuality). He is perhaps best known for his debates with such leading atheists as George H. Smith, Gordon Stein, and Edward Tabash. In the debate with Stein, Bahnsen used the transcendental argument for the existence of God (TAG), which Stein later conceded he had been unprepared for but to which he subsequently developed a reply. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Gun politics. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... ^_^ “Atheist” redirects here. ... George H. Smith is a libertarian author. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Bahnsen was once described as "the man atheists fear most"[1] because of the controversy surrounding the Bahnsen-Martin debate, which was cancelled by Michael Martin, who explained, "I refused to allow the debate to be taped and sold to support a Christian organization." [2] [3] Atheists maintain that Martin has since adequately responded to Bahnsen's planned use of TAG in that debate, doing so in his own debates with Michael Butler, John Frame, and Douglas Jones as well as in papers posted on the Secular Web [4] [5], but Reformed apologists say an adequate rebuttal has not been achieved.[6] John Frame Dr. John M. Frame (born 1939) is an American philosopher and a Calvinist theologian especially noted for his work in epistemology and presuppositional apologetics, systematic theology, and ethics. ... Internet Infidels, Inc. ...

Bahnsen was known to his friends for his personal side. Douglas Jones wrote in Vol. 8, No. 1 of Credenda/Agenda magazine following Bahnsen’s death that "some of us also remember him for his love of adventure movies, his fondness for Chinese food, his love of laughter, his lightning fast typing skills, and his encyclopedic knowledge of the history of rock and roll. No one could even come close to beating him on the details of rock history." Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Due to his lifelong medical problems, Bahnsen had to undergo a third aortic valve implant surgery on December 5, 1995. After the completion of the operation, serious complications developed within twenty-four hours. He then became comatose for several days and died on December 11, 1995 at the age of forty-seven. The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. ...

Books authored

See references at Christian Reconstructionism for links to free online versions of some of these (and related) books.

• Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith (ISBN 0-915815-28-1)
• Van Til's Apologetic: Readings and Analysis (ISBN 0-87552-098-7)
• Theonomy in Christian Ethics (ISBN 0-9678317-3-3)
• By This Standard: The Authority Of God's Law Today (ISBN 0-930464-06-0; Available online for free.)
• No Other Standard: Theonomy and Its Critics (ISBN 0-930464-56-7; Available online for free)
• House Divided: The Breakup of Dispensational Theology with Kenneth Gentry. (ISBN 0-930464-27-3; Available online for free)
• Homosexuality: A Biblical View (ISBN 0-8010-0744-5)
• Five Views on Law and Gospel (Chapter contribution) (ISBN 0-310-21271-5)
• Foundations of Christian Scholarship (2 Chapter Contributions) (ISBN 1-879998-25-4)
• God and Politics: Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Government (Chapter contribution) (ISBN 0-87552-448-6)
• Theonomy: An Informed Response (2 Chapter contributions) (ISBN 0-930464-59-1)
• Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism (ISBN 0-9678317-1-7)

Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Protestant Christianity. ...

Books about

• The Standard Bearer: A Festschrift for Greg L. Bahnsen (ISBN 0-9678317-4-1)

External links

• Essays by Greg Bahnsen and other writers
• Appointed for the Defense of the Gospel: The Life and Ministry of Greg L. Bahnsen by Kenneth Gentry
• Bahnsen vs. Stein Audio Debate transcribed
• "Bahnsen at the Stein Debate" by John Frame
• Review of The Standard Bearer: A Festschrift for Greg L. Bahnsen by Steve M. Schlissel
• Review of Theonomy in Christian Ethics by John Frame
• Reformed Apologetics includes several articles written by Bahnsen