Letters from America: A Dutch Reformed Perspective on the Struggle for Orthodoxy in American Presbyterianism (1935–1940)

Between 1935 and 1940, Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987) wrote twenty-four letters from America for the Dutch magazine De Reformatieat the invitation of its editor Klaas Schilder (1890–1952). Daniel Ragusa’s translation presents these letters in English for the first time.Letters from Americaopens a window into a critical moment in Reformed history—when orthodox and confessional Presbyterianism in America was under siege from both modernism and the rising influence of Barthianism, which Van Til labeled “the new modernism.” Ragusa introduces these letters by situating them within the broader relationship between the Dutch Reformed in the Netherlands and the orthodox Presbyterians in America—a relationship that reaches back to the seventeenth century. Written in the heat of theological conflict, Van Til’s wartime-like correspondences offer a firsthand account of the spiritual and ecclesiastical upheavals of the era. Through Van Til’s eyes, fixed steadfastly on his risen and reigning Lord, readers witness pivotal moments in American Presbyterian history, among them J. Gresham Machen’s trial, deposition, and sudden death; the founding of Westminster Theological Seminary and the evangelistic work of its graduates; and the formation of the Presbyterian Church of America and its subsequent renaming as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Far more than museum pieces, these letters bring to life a pivotal chapter in the defense and development of the Reformed faith that helps us to make sense of our present ecclesiastical and theological landscape.

Endorsements:

In this book, we are given Cornelius Van Til’s reflections about the American Presbyterian church’s descent into neo-Protestantism in the unhappy period between 1935 and 1940.
These reflections, written in the form of letters, were addressed to a Dutch church audience in the periodical De Reformatie. Dr. Ragusa has performed a kind service in translating and annotating these letters for all who are interested in Van Til’s theological thought, especially his analysis of this aggrieved period of American Presbyterian church history. Van Til, in his early forties at the time (before the publication of his major writings for which he is best known today), analyzes the scheming and maneuvering of church politics, the prosecution of Dr. Machen, the unprincipled use of Barth’s thinking for ecclesiastical advantage, and the emergence of a new Presbyterian church in America that aimed to be true to the orthodoxy of its confessional heritage. Readers of this volume will be treated to a Van Til who can “turn a phrase” and express himself with sarcasm and wit. Apart from whether Van Til is correct in all that he affirms or accurate in all that he rebukes, Ragusa’s translation unveils Van Til the man, the Christian—and one who loved the church and its Savior.
 - J. Mark Beach, Professor of Doctrinal and Ministerial Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, IN

This collection of twenty-four letters from the pen of Cornelius Van Til is a smorgasbord for afficionados of that brilliant apologist and systematic theologian, as well as for all Reformed and Presbyterian believers with an interest in church history. In particular, these letters shed light on the life of J. Gresham Machen, the formation of Westminster Theological Seminary, and the infancy of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church—each seismic events in Presbyterian church history. These letters—ably translated into fine, readable English prose and spanning a critical five years of church (and world) history—are not only of historical value but also serve as a warning against theological liberalism, the force against which Van Til so valiantly contended throughout his life and ministry and one which remains alive and well nearly a century later.
 - Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor and Professor of Homiletics and Systematic Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI

I found Letters from America (1935–1940) fascinating and invigorating; it kept me up much later into the night than I intended! No matter your interest in Van Til, the warnings embedded in his letters speak to us today. We may never allow church government to become unhitched from Scripture, or church unity pursuits to blur doctrinal clarity. Contrary to the spirit of our age, we must insist that Scripture presents a system of doctrine that has been helpfully summarized in historical creeds, confessions, and catechisms. God and his Word do not change. The fundamentals of the Christian faith may not be dismissed. Humbly believing God’s Word will not always be popular, but it is always right. Van Til’s letters, aided by the editor’s robust and enlightening explanatory notes, can fortify us to resist the allure of liberalism and remain faithful in new ways to the old truth.
 - William Boekestein, Author, Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling, and Pastor, Immanuel Fellowship Church, Kalamazoo, MI

In every age of the history of the church, the Bible must be defended from assaults designed to undermine its authoritative character as the inspired and infallible Word of God. In twenty-four articles, Dr. Van Til masterfully sets forth the progressive attacks designed to undermine and lead the Presbyterian and Reformed church in his day from its historic orthodoxy under the guise of peace at all costs that impacted Reformed Christianity in America in the early 1900s. This book enlightens us on the battles that shaped their thought as they contended with modernism, liberalism, ecumenism, Barthianism, and fundamentalism sweeping Princeton and other institutions once committed to orthodox Christianity. The courage of the early Westminster men is an example for us today of how we are to unwaveringly stand in orthodoxy that we may be ever vigilant defenders of the faith.
 - Hank Bowen, Adjunct Professor of Apologetics, Heidelberg Theological Seminary, Sioux Falls, SD

Letters from America is a must-read for anyone interested in the thought of Cornelius Van Til. The newer student will benefit from the concise, clear manner in which Van Til wrote his letters. The advanced scholar will equally benefit as the letters cover Van Til’s dialogue with some of the great Reformed figures of the twentieth century. Letters from America reveals Van Til’s thoughts on the doctrine of God, the “Concrete Universal,” Karl Barth, common grace, the reorganization of Old Princeton, apologetics, and much more. Daniel Ragusa gives a clear, crisp translation of Van Til, making the book an engaging read.
 - Scott Cook, Pastor, Oconee PCA, Seneca, SC, and Visiting Professor of Apologetics, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Greenville, SC

Every generation in Christ’s church faces the challenge to remain faithful to God’s revelation in holy Scripture. There are always those who compromise God’s Word with the world. Also, there are always those who will maintain that those who are modernizing the church are not as disruptive as some think. In each generation, those who maintain allegiance to the historical orthodox understanding of the Word of God are marginalized by those who are called the progressive and moderate voices in the church. During the years of 1935–1940, this scenario was in full operation upon the American Presbyterian scene. Cornelius Van Til’s letters for De Reformatie in the Netherlands are an unapologetic analysis of the politicization of the church at that time. From Machen’s trial to the struggling formation of a new church (the Orthodox Presbyterian Church), Van Til sounds the alarm about modernism, the moderates who refused to face the destruction of biblical orthodoxy before their eyes, the progressive deterioration of Princeton Theological Seminary evidenced by their sympathy with Karl Barth and Emil Brunner, and even the battle in the new church with fundamentalism versus historic Reformed orthodoxy. Much thanks to the Reformed Forum and the fine work of Daniel Ragusa for providing this addition to Van Til’s English corpus. Van Til’s penetrating assessment is relevant for those who wish to hold precious true biblical orthodoxy in the life of church. We need to read these treasured letters and, for once, really learn! Concerning Princeton, Van Til comments: “It would be better if the Reformed took a sober look at the facts of this dissolution process at Princeton, instead of trying to gloss over them as much as possible.” Commenting on the death of Machen, he wrote: “The work begun by Dr. Machen does not stand still after his death; God works even now His work of grace through insignificant and small men.” Concerning the fundamentalist’s abuse of Scripture, he noted: “When the pastors reason as such and justify their dereliction of duty with false appeals to Scripture, it is difficult to convince people that it is their duty to leave a church where God’s Word is openly trampled underfoot.” It is worth your time to digest Van Til’s passionate, militant voice for the preservation of the truth in Christ’s church!
 - William D. Dennison, Pastor, Emmanuel OPC, Kent, WA, and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies (Emeritus), Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA

As Van Til writes in one of his letters, “It is sometimes good to see ourselves as others see us.” In this translated collection, Daniel Ragusa allows Christians in the United States to see themselves for the first time through the eyes of a Dutch-American Reformed theologian reporting back to his homeland. Van Til’s early twentieth-century commentary on religious and social trends in America and Europe demonstrates his deep learning, his broad concern for the global church, and his unflinching commitment to God’s revelation. These letters, together with Ragusa’s substantial notes, will benefit students of philosophy, history, and theology, highlighting the intercultural and intercontinental communication between Reformed and Presbyterian church traditions.
 - Michael R. Kearney, Assistant Professor of Communication, Dordt University, Sioux Center, IA

In this little volume are found the heretofore lost treasures of Presbyterian and Reformed history in the 1930s. Along with historical insights are the rarely found thoughts of men like Machen, Kuyper, Bavinck, and their opponents as well as insights into Van Til. He writes of controversies and makes connections to others in the church world of the USA and of Europe. Although it is a window into the past, it provides valuable lessons for the present day.
 - Paul T. Murphy, Church Planter, New York City, and Pastor of Evangelism, Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship (URCNA), New York, NY

These letters not only offer a unique and, in a way, “live” report on essential moments in the history of confessional Presbyterianism, but Van Til’s insights, comments, and learned piety are still valuable for today’s church and theology. (e publisher served us well to translate and publish this rich collection.
Herman Selderhuis, Theological University Apeldoorn, Netherlands

This translation of these letters of Van Til writing to the old country about the Reformed and Presbyterian theological “goings-on” in America in the mid-1930s is a real gem. From the controversies surrounding Machen’s fight for orthodoxy and orthopraxy in the PCUSA to the founding and early years of the OPC to the broader theological fray of the times, especially the neo-orthodoxy battles, Van Til’s unique and often sarcastic voice adds helpful insights that fill out the historical landscape. Ragusa has yielded a great service to the church by furnishing us with these important original sources in the 
English language.
Alan Strange, President, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, IN

Ragusa has offered a first-rate contribution to Van Til scholarship that will be valued for years to come. Van Til’s letters from his early years add a new dimension to his previously published corpus. Through Ragusa’s translation of Van Til’s letters into English, we are enabled to enter into the heart of a Reformed militancy in desperate need of recovery in the twenty-first century. Van Til was keenly aware that departures from the truth of Scripture as summarized in our Reformed symbols enter the church through conservative moderates who promote ethical and doctrinal indifferentism in a pragmatic quest for influence. Van Til reminds us that those who are of most use to the Lord care the least about worldly achievement and the most about the truth of an inerrant Scripture that comes from an absolute triune Creator and centers on Jesus Christ—“the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). May these letters be used by the Lord to rekindle an all-controlling passion for the glory of the triune God and the self-attesting Christ of Scripture. 
- Lane Tipton, Pastor, Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Easton, PA, and Fellow of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Reformed Forum

Reading through these historic letters is like traveling with Van Til as one’s guide through the turbulent 1930s. These fascinating letters served as articles to inform Reformed believers in the Netherlands of ecclesiastical developments in the United States. In them, Van Til gives a candid firsthand insightful account of the decline of biblical faithfulness at Princeton, the struggle of Machen against modernism, and the eventual establishment of Westminster Theological Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The fight against fundamentalism and issues surrounding Bible and science also feature prominently. These letters reflect the immediacy of the events they recount but also retain their relevance for our time. Van Til’s sharp analytic mind models how we can recognize and approach similar issues today. The value of this collection is significantly enhanced with the many excellent annotations by the editor, Daniel Ragusa. May this anthology help many readers to see current parallels to the challenge to remain faithful to Scripture today and benefit from this treasure trove of Van Til’s perceptive insights in how his generation struggled to be true to God’s Word. 
 - Cornelis Van Dam, Professor of Old Testament Emeritus, Canadian Reformed Theological 
Seminary, Hamilton, ON

With startling insight and equal measures of sarcasm and wit, Van Til chronicles in his letters from America the struggle of faithful men and women on behalf of the northern Presbyterian church. In Ragusa’s lucid translation, Van Til’s story of betrayal, cowardice, and naive pleading for patience emerges in regular, deeply moving installments. Van Til warns his audience that Americans must learn to speak if they are to be faithful. Read it, and you’ll quote it: I could not put this book down.
 - Chad Van Dixhoorn, Professor of Church History and Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC

We owe Daniel Ragusa a debt of gratitude for his fine translation and annotation of Cornelius Van Til’s letters written for De Reformatie between 1935–1940. In an age when letters are all but unknown, Van Til’s letters offer a firsthand journalistic account of a series of important events in the history of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches in North America: the modernist-fundamentalist controversy within the North American Presbyterian Church; J. Gresham Machen’s battle against liberalism; the establishment of Westminster Theological Seminary; the formation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church; and the demise of Old Princeton confessionalism. Most strikingly, these letters present a vivid portrait of Cornelius Van Til himself as a stalwart defender of the faith and resolute opponent of biblical or confessional heterodoxy. 
Cornelis P. Venema, President Emeritus, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, IN

Much has been written about the “Presbyterian conflict” of the 1920s and 30s. Now, in this interesting new publication, we are given Cornelius Van Til’s reporting, and evaluation, of the events surrounding the trial and conviction of J. Gresham Machen, and the subsequent birth of a “continuing Presbyterian church.” It is a “boots-on-the-ground” account of events as they unfolded, in a voice that is at times ironic, even sardonic, at others, disappointed and sad, yet always hopeful in the awareness of the sovereign providence of God. Of special interest is the way in which Van Til relates events in America for his Dutch readers—connecting them to (then) recent Dutch church history, in particular the Afscheiding and the Doleantie. Letter 12 in which Van Til reports the unexpected death of Machen, his colleague and friend, and offers his own sketch of the fallen leader’s life and ministry is alone worth buying and reading this important collection. “We thought him indispensable—but enough; God has taken him away. The Lord has given, the Lord has taken, blessed be the name of the Lord. . . . Despondency would be a sin; a greater confidence of faith than ever before is our clear duty.”
 - Roger Wagner, Pastor Emeritus, Bayview Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Chula Vista, CA

Daniel Ragusa has translated from the Dutch in Letters from America Cornelius Van Til’s correspondence published in Klaas Schilder’s serial De Reformatie, 1935–1940. Van Til 
believed the influence of Karl Barth was a great problem at Princeton Seminary, and he discusses Emil Brunner’s in!uence and his potential professorship that was abandoned after a one-year lectureship. Van Til believed Westminster Seminary provided the alternative to Princeton. His knowledge of Dutch church history in both the Netherlands and the States is compared with changes at Princeton and in the Presbyterian Church. The book offers insight into the theological-sociological division among the Dutch at home and in the United States with regard to applying Kuyper’s teaching, and he makes firsthand observations of the battle in America among Presbyterians concerning evangelicalism, fundamentalism, premillennialism, and Barth. He has some disturbing observations about the errors some fundamentalists were willing to put up with so long as the errant individuals accepted premillennialism. Van Til commented that Machen “was the Kuyper of the whole church movement here,” which raises the question how far he would take the comparison. Dr. Ragusa has included information in footnotes, especially about the Auburn Affirmation because it is referred to by Van Til as the turning point for the Presbyterian Church, and he saw “Affirmationists” as a principal element of the problem for those he describes as “ethicist-modernists.” For anyone interested in American Presbyterian history as described by a Dutch-American apologist and theologian for his kinsmen in De Reformatie, a copy of Letters from America should be added to your reads-in-waiting shelf. I highly recommend this book.
Barry Waugh, Editor, Presbyterians of the Past

Cornelius Van Til’s letters to the Dutch weekly, De Reformatie, updating his family’s homeland on the raging disputes within American Presbyterianism in the 1930s are no ordinary dispatches. Helpfully translated here by Dan Ragusa, these letters reverberate with Van Til’s zeal for God’s glory and for the spiritual care of Christ’s little ones. Along the way, he calls out the “peace-at-any-price” men, the “Barthian-‘Reformed’” (note the sarcastic quotation marks applied to Reformed), the “semi-dispensationalists,” and—my personal favorite—the “Reformed-Arminian-Barthian-liberals.” Amidst Van Til’s distress, though, he urges a confident advance of Christ’s cause and a revitalization of the Reformed faith in America. The intensity of Van Til’s faith found in these letters should inspire those who read them today.
R. Carlton Wynne, Associate Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA), Atlanta, GA, and Fellow at Reformed Forum